Open

Open with the Serenity prayer in the plural, and the service prayer was read out.

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change

The courage to change the things that we can

And the wisdom to know the difference.

God grant us the knowledge that we may work according to your great divine precepts.

Install in us a sense of your purpose.

Make us servants of your will and grant us a bond of selflessness, that no addict anywhere need die from the horrors of addiction.

Previous GSF Topics

1.  Christmas BBQ

• The group is still unsure if Janice has been repaid.
• Will check with Janice and see if there is anything outstanding and address at the next GSF.
• Update: Monday, 15^th April 2019 – Janice has confirmed that she has been paid in full.
• Closed

2.  GSF Attendance

• Update added after GSF by BICR.
• Contact details for the Secretaries of most of the Brisbane Inner City meetings are held. Still require:
  • Living Clean – Tuesday Night West End;
  • Women’s Meeting – Sunday Night New Farm;
  • Thursday Night Padding Topic Meeting.
• Closed

3.  Regional Service Committee (RSC) Speaker Jam

• No further update.

4.  Proposal for a New Women’s Meeting

• Venue is secured.
• First meeting scheduled for 31st May 2019.
• Continue to announce.
• Closed

5.  Lunchies

• A few members have experienced a few issues at the lunchies.
• Perhaps an induction of how to chair a meeting would be beneficial.
• It may be valuable to ask non-home group members to co-chair meetings to provide experience in chairing a meeting.
• The group agreed to an NA related announcement that Lunchies need support from older cleaner members.
• Closed

6.  Local Service Conference / Board Update

• Should be scheduled for August 2019
• Closed

7.  Home group and sponsorship workgroup

• The unity weekend will be hosting a Group Support
• Closed

Group Report Backs

1.  Spiritual Concepts – Sunday Afternoon New Farm

• Doing really well in terms of attendance and financials.
• Need to fund flow.
• All service positions are filled.
• Excellent atmosphere of recovery.

2.  Tuesday Night Spring Hill Steps and Traditions

• Is doing very well.
• Attendance is roughly 25 members a week.
• Group is financial and paid up in rent.
• All service positions are filled.
• Has a really good atmosphere of recovery.
• Good attendance.
• There is a couple hundred dollars in the kitty.
• Group will be having a group conscience soon in order to determine how much to fund flow.

3.  Wednesday Night Rainbow Recovery New Farm

• Has an attendance of roughly 40 members per week.
• A great atmosphere of recovery.
• Group is financial:
  • Rent is paid until the end of May 2019.
  • Literature purchase of $220.
  • Fund flowed $100 this month.
  • $65 prudent reserve.
• Has a large number of home group members, with a core group of 10 – 15 attending each week.
• All service positions are filled:
  • This month a number of members stepped out of service positions as there was a lack of support.
  • Five (5) positions were filled and support / mentor roles were attached to the key service positions of Secretary; Treasurer and GSR.
• The home group has a really good atmosphere of recovery.
  • Mitigation strategies implemented since the last GSF were very effective.
  • External feedback was raised:
    • There was talk that non-LGBTIQA members are not welcome at the meeting.
    • Tradition is called out specifically in the preamble to dispell this.
    • However, the group will take this feedback to the group.
• At the end of May 2019 when the Community Centre is unavailable (renovations), the venue will change to the 860 Brunswick Street venue provided by Communify.
• Looking at changing the time to 6:30 pm at the same time as the venue change to minimise disruption.

4.  Tuesday Night West End

• Consistent attendance with an average of 14 people per week.
• Has a core group of four (4) home group members.
• Group is financial and paid up in rent.
  • Rent is expensive (at approximately $140 a month) but up to date.
  • No prudent reserve.
  • Not fund flowing.

5.  Wednesday Night West End

• Solid core group members.
• Group is financial and paid up in rent and is fund flowing regularly.
• Attendance is up and down depending on whether the rehab is attending.

6.  Farsi / Persian Meeting – Wednesday Spring Hill

• Farsi meeting is good.
• Group has money to fund flow.
• Group requires support for fund flowing.
  • Group advised that this is on the Greater Queensland Area member page.
  • Please see
    • Sixth (6th) paragraph here – https://www.na.org.au/multi/greaterqld/
    • Bank account details here – https://www.na.org.au/multi/greaterqld/2018/05/27/greater-qld-area-bank-account-details/
    • Please make a Bank transfer to Bank account details:
      • BSB:  124 026
      • Account number:  13201668
• Atmosphere of recovery is good.

7.  Monday Night Newstead Waltz

• Has a new venue at 30 Helen Street Newstead.
  • Parking seems to be a minor issue.
  • Meeting is undertaking risk mitigation strategies:
    • Smoking is impacting the neighbours so smokers are directed across the round.
    • A member had a fall down the stairs.
    • Will be managing seating a little more carefully.
• Has a core group of home group members.
• Group is financial and paid up in rent.
  • Opening balance of $141
  • Collected $78.50
  • Closing $220.21
    • This is the prudent reserve amount so there is no funds available for fund flow.
• All service positions are filled.
• Has a really good atmosphere of recovery.
• Consistent attendance.

8.  Thursday Night Paddington

• On the off week when the rehab does not attend the group could use some support.
• Group is financial, with rent paid and funds available to fund flow.
• Group requires some support for fund flowing.
  • BICR to attend the meeting on 23rd May 2019 to provide support.
  • Group advised that this is on the Greater Queensland Area member page.
  • Please see
    • Sixth (6th) paragraph here – https://www.na.org.au/multi/greaterqld/
    • Bank account details here – https://www.na.org.au/multi/greaterqld/2018/05/27/greater-qld-area-bank-account-details/
    • Please make a Bank transfer to Bank account details:
      • BSB:  124 026
      • Account number:  13201668
• The group has the best biscuits in the inner city meetings.

New GSF Topics

1.  Brisbane Unity Weekend

• Brisbane Unity Weekend is next weekend.
• The announcements have been fantastic in rallying support.
• However, we still need members with two (2) years clean time to help take cash.
• Members with two (2) years clean time need to step up to help man tills.
• We will have a raffle ticket system to help with cash for meals.
• Unity weekend announcements need to highlight the eventbrite website for registrations.
  • Eventbrite site:
    • https://brisbaneunityweekend2019.eventbrite.com.au
• Trying to organise the facility to take Credit Card payments using Square.
• Discussed the possibility of using PayPal as an alternative payment method.
• Bank transfer is another alternative payment method.
  • Members can use the Fund flow account to make payments
• Announcements should also mention that members should bring cash.
• The final program is available.
• Coffee Masheen [sic]
  • The coffee cart will be delivered on Thursday.
  • It will be open the entire weekend … but only a skeleton staff will operate during specified meetings.
• The services available at the Unity Weekend have been priced for unity rather than positive cashflow.
• Most services are aimed to break even.
• We will be sharing the venue with a small number of bowlers on Saturday afternoon.
• Closed.

2.  Group Support Forum / BIC Contact List

• Discussed that a manual contact list is onerous and manual, and often obsolete.
  • But this method is the most effective for information dissemination.
• Subscription to this website is effective and the attendees to the GSF subscribed in meeting.
  • But this communication method does not work for all members; or those that are not at this GSF.
• Closed

3.  Board Updates

• Victoria has adopted the new service structure.
• Discussion around the fact that the NA logo must be accompanied by the registered trademark.
• Phone has moved to the new system
• PR Week
  • It is PR week in the first week of June.
  • Promoting NA globally; there is an opportunity to take a local role in PR by putting up the posters
  • PR message is about attraction not promotion – just providing information.
• The issue of gender specific language has raised it’s head so there may be discussion forthcoming .
  • CAR will determine if the issue has legs.
• Board has noted that groups do not seem to be fund flowing.
  • Discussion on fund flowing below.
• Closed.

4.  Fund flowing

• The Greater Queensland Area is struggling as groups do not seem to be fund flowing.
• The message from Regions is that we are not fund flowing.
• The seventh (7th) tradition prose seems to not always be presented in meeting.
• Discussed the fact that increasing rents have been impacting fund flows.
• To be discussed again at the next GSF.

5.  Next Group Support Forum

• The next GSF will be hosted by Spring Hill Steps and Traditions.
• Sunday, 16th June 2019; 2:00 pm at the Sands Building, 505 Bowen Terrace, New Farm.

Close

Serenity prayer in the plural.

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change

The courage to change the things that we can

And the wisdom to know the difference.