My name is Matt, I am an alcoholic. My sobriety date is December 20th 2017 and my Home Group is KISS in the amazing District 22. I’m grateful to be serving as District Committee Member and continuing my journey of spiritual growth. We hold our District business meetings in a hybrid format on the 4th Monday of every month at 6 PM; in-person at the Lafayette Community Center and on Zoom meeting ID 345 408 4570.
It has been a challenging but rewarding past couple of months with a transition in our Treasurer position. We have had difficulties with the transition of our last two Treasurers and it is remarkable how multiple small mistakes can lead to a large opportunity for learning. We have a new trusted servant, Jack M., who will be helping us reconcile our expenses and forecast for the coming year. We do not have a scheduled month for budget presentation and we are considering July 1 as the beginning of our fiscal year. Our elections are in September for our District service positions so this would give new trusted servants time to settle into their service position before being asked to present a budget line-item request. During our financial transparency discussions, several groups wanted to have an annual tracking of contributions per group. With this in mind, we will also be tracking contributions and presenting those numbers, similarly to how Area 58 does. I’m grateful that my District has been so gracious with me and our outgoing Treasurer as we muddled through all this fun with finances.
Aside from electing a new Treasurer, I have continued my mission to visit every group in our District. According to the Area Roster, cross referenced with my visits and the Meeting Guide app, we have 31 active groups with 60 meetings a week. My heart tells me there are more meetings than this but I will have an exact count by our May Assembly. That is a commitment I’m making to the entire Area!
I want to give a huge thank you to my District for the support in going to PRAASA last weekend. I am still reeling from the experience. I was able to see an old friend, make new friends and reflect on my place in AA as a whole. I’m grateful for AA and the humility that it teaches me through a variety of experiences – this was my first PRAASA and I’m so grateful for the messages shared by the presenters during panels and the open mic comments after those presentations. I was able to go to the mic and speak during the What’s On Your Mind session and I was filled with gratitude for the ability to share my experience, strength and hope with such an amazing group of people. It was a genuine honor to be able to speak, just like it is an honor to share with the Area as a DCM.
I still feel a bit gobsmacked by my experience in Alaska (or it could be the jump to Daylight Savings Time) but I am hopeful that prayer and meditation will get my heart back to the normal eccentric that I am – not this gobsmacked guy who uses the word gobsmacked. Our District has a very enthusiastic and motivated group of committee Chairs and GSRs who are committed to reaching the still suffering alcoholic. We have our Pre-Conference Sharing Session on March 29th and our Grapevine Chair Chelsea H. is working with Amber N. to host a “Share Your Slice of Life” pizza-fueled Grapevine Writing Workshop on May 3rd. Please email me at dcm22@aa-oregon.org if you’d like a copy of the flyers. They will also be posted on our district website: https://aa-oregon-yamhill.org/
Thank you for allowing me to be of service,
Matt M.