(Northern California World Service Area Newsletter)

April 2013

Volume 49

Issue 1

Available online at http://www.ncwsa.org/newsletters/

How Important Is It?

The 12Stepper

Table of Contents

Table of Contents3

12 Stepper Information4

Events Calendar for 20135

Contacting NCWSA5

Contacting WSO5

Officer Reports6

Coordinator Reports9

WSO Newsletters15

1-Day Assembly May 4, 2013 Flier16

Other Al-Anon Announcements17

Treasurer Balance and Profit Loss Reports $$19

District Service and Speaker Meetings Calendars24

Al-Anon Acronyms25

NCWSA Boundaries Map26

12 Stepper Subscription Form27

NCWSA 12Stepper Newsletter

April 2013, Volume 49, Issue 1

The 12 Stepper is the newsletter of the Northern California World Service Area (NCWSA).A free copy of the April and August issues are mailed to all Al-Anon Family Groups (AFG) registered with NCWSA, and to the Delegate, NCWSA officers, coordinators, liaisons and District Representatives (DRs). A limited number of copies are shared with other AFG areas across the country; all others are sold on a subscription basis. A subscription form is included at the back of this issue. Typically, each issue is published shortly after the two NCWSC meetings held in February and May, and after the NCWSA Assembly in October of each year.

April Issue This issue typically includes the Annual Financial Report, One-Day Assembly agenda, and May through August (and beyond when space is available) announcements and reports. Deadline is one week after the Feb. NCWSC meeting.

August Issue The August issue includes the minutes from the prior Assembly, the next years budget, reports, and announcements of special AFG events from September through December. Deadline is the end of May.

December Issue The web-only (paper copies will NOT be sent)December issue includes information on the yearly Al-Anon Convention, committee and district reports from the prior Assembly, and announcements of special AFG events from January through April. Deadline is the end of October.

Al-Anons Declaration of Unity

Each member of the fellowship is a significant part of a great circle of hope. While respecting each others individuality, our common welfare must come first. Our recovery depends on our mutual need and an atmosphere of trust. (approved by the 1984 World Service Conference)

Editors Corner

2013 is packed with big events for our fellowship; Conventions in Sacramento & Vancouver, Service conferences, District Days in Al-Anon, a dozen speaker meetings monthly and approximately 980 weekly meetings (sanctuaries where we learn tools of recovery). I cant grow in recovery alone and I am honored to serve in this position of creating a newsletter is to help connect us all.

Love in service,

12 Stepper Editor Tom K

We are working together to improve & expand our Fellowship! I am glad to be part of this effort.

Love in service,

Alt 12 Stepper Editor Laurie B

Submitting Material to the 12 Stepper

All members are invited to contribute District news and announcements. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address. The deadline for the next issue of the 12Stepper is May31, 2012. Articles may be submitted in Microsoft Word format electronically to Tom K and Laurie B at 12steppereditor@ncwsa.org.

Donations to NCWSA

Please send donations to: NCWSA Treasurer, PO Box 728,Vacaville, CA 95696-0728.Dont forget to include your groups WSO #, and donation form A25,available at: http://www.ncwsa.org/forms/

Events Calendar 2013

Please see http://www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar/for latest calendar updates.

See list of monthly district events at the end of this issue.

Date

Event

Location

Information/Contact

April 5-7

Fri-Sun

Hospitals & Institutions Conference

Crown Plaza Hotel

Foster City, CA

See flier in this issue page 13

April 6

9:00-3:30

Men in Al-Anon

River Life Church

4401 A Street Sacramento, CA

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

April 7

2:00-4:00

AMIAS Training

SCV Intergroup

St. Francis Episcopal Church, Wickham Room1205 Pine Ave, San Jose

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

April 13

1:00-5:00

Growing Together Fundraiser BarBQ

Almaden Lake Park

15652 Almaden Expressway

San Jose, CA 95120

Ryan C. (650)636-6955vfa115eagles@gmail.com

April 27

9:00-5:00

Day In Al-Anon

District 16

Trinity Lutheran Church1225 Hopyard RdPleasanton 94566

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

May 4

10:00-4:30

1-Day Assembly

Edward Harris Junior High School 8691 Power Inn Road

Elk Grove, CA

See flier in this issue page 11

May 17-19

Fri-Sun

Growing Together Weekend

Westminster Woods Occidental, CA

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

July 4-7

Al-Anon International Convention

Convention Center

Vancouver, BC Canada

Early Reg. by May 31, 2013

www.al-anoninternationalconvention.org

Aug. 24

10:00-5:00

Day In Al-Anon

District 17

Calvary Chapel42986 Osgood RdFremont, CA

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

Sept.20-22

Fri-Sun

Alateen Sponsors R&R

Westminster Woods6510 Bohemian HwyOccidental, CA

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

Oct. 25-27

Fri-Sun

3-Day Assembly

Concord Crown Plaza

Concord, CA

See flier at www.ncwsa.org/events-calendar

Contacting NCWSA

A list of contacts for NCWSA is at http://www.ncwsa.org/contact-us.html. More contacts are at the end of the printed version of this newsletter.

Contacting WSO (World Service Office)

General Al-Anon Web - http://www.al-anon.org/

Members Web http://www.al-anon.org/members/for CAL publications, The Forum, Calendar, blogs, WSC Summary, Service Manual, other newsletters, etc.

Email wso@al-anon.org

Meeting Information: (888) 4AL-ANON , 425-2666 (8am-6pm Eastern Time M-F)

Physical Address:AFG, Inc.

1600 Corporate Landing Pkwy.

Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5600

Phone (757) 563-1600

Page 6 of 28April 2013 12 Stepperwww.ncwsa.org

www.ncwsa.orgApril 2013 12 StepperPage 3 of 28

Officer Reports

Delegate:

Patrick B

The Conference Communication Kit arrived as I was writing this report, which means it is time for me to start planning and prepar-ing for the 2013 World Service Conference (WSC) in Virginia Beach, VA, April 14-18. I know that I will have a lot of reading to do in the next couple of months. I dont have the full agenda yet, but a couple of the topics that will be discussed are:

Proposed changes to the Policy section of the Service Manual.

Updates from some of the Areas on their progress with considering changes to their structures, on a trial basis. Southern California will be one of the Areas reporting and I have contributed to that report, as the Southern California Delegate and I are staying in close contact around this issue.

I also look forward to an update on electronic literature and reports from the Thought and Task Forces that were formed last year. Please plan to attend the One-Day Assembly in Elk Grove on Saturday, May 4th to hear my report. A flier has been posted to the NCWSA.org website.

In preparation for the WSC, I will be attending the South West Regional Delegates Meeting (SWRDM), March 8-10, 2013, in Albuquerque, NM. The NCWSA Chairperson and Alternate Delegate also attend SWRDM, to be prepared to attend the WSC, in the event that I am not able. SWRDM is open to any Al-Anon member who wishes to attend. Please contact me at delegate@ncwsa.org for more information.

If you, your group, or your district would like to send love gifts or other items to the WSC, here is some important information:

Packages will not be accepted prior to April 9, 2013.

Put the following information on your package:

Patrick (full last name)

(Hold for WSC April 14-18, 2013)

Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront

5700 Atlantic Ave

Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Put my name and address (found on the NCWSA roster) in the return address section, in case mail delivery is delayed.

Planning is well underway for Al-Anons International Convention, to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, July 5-7, 2013. There are four times as many signed up for the Day of Connecting (to take place on July 4th) as there were in Pittsburgh in 2008. You can find information on the al-anon.org website, in the Members area. Dont forget your passport! The 2018 International Convention will be held in Baltimore, MD.

The International Al-Anon General Service Meeting (IAGSM) was held in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2012. Topics discussed at this IAGSM included: Anonymity in Al-Anon, Adult Children and Other Specialized Groups, Understanding the Balance Between Concepts 6 and 7, and Building Bridges Between Different Communities within the Al-Anon Structure.

I also:

Participated in the Sharing of Service (SOS) event in Southern California on January 19.

Shared my Al-Anon story, with a focus on service, at the Northern California Council of Alcoholics Anonymous (NCCAA) in Fresno on January 26th.

Subm