We are at the height of our tourist season here at the beach as families gather for some last summer fun before the start of school. As a result, we have been so fortunate in our Sussex County meetings to have an influx of visitors who find fellowship with us. Visitors bring the same messages in their shares but with different experiences based on the formats of meetings and their experiences from across the country.

Next month the shoulder season will arrive and our introductions of visitors at meetings will likely shorten, but we will still have each other – our familiar faces closest to us. As the summer quietens, perhaps this is a good time to pull out our journals and consider jotting down some beautiful remarks and phrases we have learned from those passing through. Meanwhile, soak up the ocean breeze and enjoy the last few weeks of Summer.

During this Eighth month, let’s take a look at Step 8, Tradition 8 and Concept 8.

Step 8: “Made a list of persons we harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”

Steps Eight and Nine are concerned with personal relations. First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.

— Reprinted from The Twelve and Twelve – (page 77), with permission of  A.A. World Services, Inc.

Tradition 8: “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.”

Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words “Freely ye have received, freely give.” We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix. Almost no recovery from alcoholism has ever been brought about by the world’s best professionals, whether medical or religious. We do not decry professionalism in other fields, but we accept the sober fact that it does not work for us. Every time we have tried to professionalize our Twelfth Step, the result has been exactly the same: Our single purpose has been defeated.

Reprinted from The Twelve and Twelve – page 166, with permission of  A.A. World Services, Inc.

Concept 8: “The trustees are the principal planners and administrators of over-all policy and finance. They have custodial oversight of the separately incorporated and constantly active services, exercising this through their ability to elect all the directors of these entities.”

This concept deals with the ways the General Services Board “discharges its heavy obligations” and its relationship with its two subsidiary corporations: A.A. World Services Inc. and A.A. Grapevine Inc.

Reprinted from A.A. Service Manual/Twelve Concepts for World Services (page 16), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Southern Delaware Intergroup Monthly Meeting — Join us on Thursday, August 3 at 6PM via Zoom. Meeting ID: 987-8810-5001, Passcode: 914711. Our intergroup is a resource for 12-Step work and Alcoholics Anonymous information in Southern Delaware.

And while you are there, perhaps volunteer for a service opportunity, which includes most Intergroup committees. For more information about what each Committee does, see our Service Committees page and plan to attend our monthly intergroup meeting.

2023 Annual Bash at the Beach

When: Saturday, September 17, 2023
Time:   10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: The Pavilion at Henlopen State Park
15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, De.
Follow Signs (Main Beach Area)
Cost:  $8.00 – tickets can be purchased
Parking Cost: $5 in-state and $10 out-of-state

Guest Speakers – Food – Fun – Fellowship – Music – Games
Please bring a side dish or dessert, if possible!

For more information, contact events@sussexaa.org

We have been asking for submissions for our newsletter (see article below) and our member Sherri K. was kind enough to send in a submission that we are able to feature here again! Last month, we featured Sherri’s favorite slogan and this month, we will be featuring how she got her first service position!

“My first service position was at 3 months sober when I was asked to be secretary at my homegroup, which required me to get there an hour early to set up the room and make a 60-cup pot of coffee and then lead the meeting. I felt extremely important that they would trust me to that position.”

Thank you Sherri!

Want To Be Part of the Newsletter? We would love to hear from you and here are some topic ideas:

• How you worked a specific step.
• A favorite A.A. slogan and how it has helped you.
• How you got your first service position.
• Something your sponsor said that impacted you.

You can submit entries to support@sussexaa.org and subscribing to this Newsletter via e-mail is very easy. Simply email “subscribe” to support@sussexaa.org  and you will receive the monthly email on the 1^st of each month.

This Month’s Intergroup Committee Feature
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.

If interested in doing service, the Chairperson position is open for this Committee. See following article for more Intergroup Committee positions available.

Southern Delaware Intergroup Committees Positions Open for Service

Intergroup could use your help. There are openings as members on all committees, but importantly, Chairpersons are needed for the Accessibilities Committee; Bridging the Gap Treatment Committee; Website Committee and Vice Chair of Intergroup.

For more information about Intergroup and its committees, please go to About Southern Delaware Intergroup – Southern Delaware Intergroup (sussexaa.org).