Service Committees
Our Twelfth Step — carrying the message — is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.
Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer — ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.
Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description. They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship. — Reprinted from A.A.’s Legacy of Service by Bill W., with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc. Further reading, download the A.A. Service Manual.
Looking for an informational handout about SDIAA intergroup and its relationship to the A.A. Service structure? Download here.
Officers
The officers of Southern Delaware Intergroup are elected by the Intergroup Representatives (IGRs). See Bylaws: Article 7.
- Chairperson — Leads the Intergroup business meeting; sets the business agenda; sits as a non-voting member on all standing committees; and is responsible for forming ad hoc committees as needed. The chairperson also appoints committee chairs, with approval by the IGRs, to oversee the orderly administration of SDIAA.
- Vice Chairperson — Acts as Chair in the Chair’s absence and assumes other responsibilities as delegated by the Chair.
- Secretary — Records, copies and distributes monthly minutes.
- Treasurer — Receives and records all Seventh Tradition contributions and maintains oversight of the finances. Other duties include paying bills, tracking expenses, reimbursing individuals for miscellaneous expenses, and distributing a monthly report about the finances at each Intergroup meeting.
Standing Service Committees
There currently are 11 standing service committees in Southern Delaware Intergroup. See Bylaws: Article 8. Committees are always looking for help with their activities. For more information on any of the following committees, either attend one of the monthly Intergroup meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. online via Zoom, or email us.
- Accessibility — The purpose of the accessibility committee is to help make Alcoholics Anonymous in our area accessible to every member who desires it by raising awareness within the A.A. community of the challenges faced by those with special needs such as mobility, vision, hearing etc. when accessing meetings, and building capacity within the A.A. community to offer meetings, special functions, and service opportunities to members with special needs. For more information, see the SDIAA Accessibilities Toolkit. You can also send an email to accessibility@sussexaa.org.
- Answering Service (12-Step Calls) — Southern Delaware Intergroup maintains a 24-hour answering service, with volunteers ready to help answer questions about alcoholism, Alcoholics Anonymous, and finding a meeting. Our answering service volunteers are often the first contact a newcomer has with Alcoholics Anonymous. It is suggested that to volunteer you have at least one year of continuous sobriety, and are an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous. If this is you, please consider volunteering for this very important service work. For more information, you can review the SDIAA Answering Services Guidelines or send an email to calls@sussexaa.org.
- Archives — The mission of the Archives Committee is to collect, preserve, and protect a variety of original material containing information of permanent historical value relating to the history of A.A. in Sussex County. For more information, send an email to archives@sussexaa.org.
- Bridging the Gap/Treatment — Bridging the Gap (BTG) is a “temporary contact program” that connects alcoholics transitioning out of a treatment facility, with sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous who can help introduce them to the program of A.A. It is suggested that the temporary contact take the newcomer to their first few A.A. meetings, introduce them to other A.A.’s, and help them get phone numbers of A.A. members. It is also helpful to share your experience with having a sponsor and a home group. If you are interested in being part of this vital service and would like to be on our “temporary contact ” volunteer list, please fill out the volunteer contact form. In addition, the BTG Committee takes a weekly meeting into the Banyan Treatment Center in Milford on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm. We are looking for home groups to sign up and take one month at a time. If your home group is interested in taking a month, please let us know. For more information review the 12th Step BTG flyer or send an email to btg@sussexaa.org.
- Corrections — This committee takes meetings into Sussex County correctional facilities & carries the A.A. message to the alcoholic who suffers. Security application required — Download Here. Please forward your completed form to corrections@sussexaa.org.
- C.P.C. — The Cooperation with the Professional Community (C.P.C.) provides information to professional groups and is the liaison with hospitals, institutions, rehabilitation facilities and detox centers. Interested members with specific questions or wishing to learn more about C.P.C. Committee work can send an email to cpc@sussexaa.org.
- Liaison Area 12 — Serves as the conduit between Area 12 and intergroup, representing SDIAA at area assemblies and area committee meetings.
- Literature — This committee has available, at cost, conference-approved literature to A.A. groups and members in order to provide the A.A. message to as many people as possible. You can review our inventory list here. For more information, send an email to literature@sussexaa.org.
- P.I. — Public Information (P.I.) in Alcoholics Anonymous means carrying the message of recovery by informing the general public about the A.A. program. Utilizing literature and service material available from A.A., we carry the message by getting in touch with and responding to the media, schools, industry, and other organizations which can report on the nature and purpose of A.A. and what it can do for alcoholics. For more information, send an email to pi@sussexaa.org.
- Special Events — This committee holds events that provide fellowship, unity and recovery to the groups and members in the local area. For more information, send an email to events@sussexaa.org.
- Website/Tech — This committee aims to promote unity, service, and recovery by providing a responsive, user-friendly website. Activities include managing the meeting directory database (including a printable in-person meeting schedule available for download), updating the events calendar and monthly newsletter content and responding to emails sent to support@sussexaa.org.