Board News February 2014

GREAT BRITAIN
February 2014
Board News
Welcome to the newsletter which is issued after each meeting of the National
Service Board of OA in Great Britain, to let you know what we do and to
encourage communication and service.
NSB Officers
Sue J (Chair)
Elena (Treasurer)
Emma (Secretary)
Pam (Literature)
Rachel (Communications)
Minute Taker
We are looking for a willing volunteer to take the minutes at our NSB meetings
which we hold 5 times a year. This year the meetings will be mainly held in
Birmingham, all expenses will be paid. If you are happy to undertake this
service for the NSB please contact Emma at [email protected] for
further information.
NSB meetings 2014
Email Responder
National Assembly
2014 - Sheffield
We are looking for a volunteer to take over the role of Email Responder for
OAGB. This involves checking and responding to emails sent to OAGB,
replying directly to emails or forwarding them to the relevant person. (Further
details available on request)
You should have a good level of understanding of the traditions of OA and an
up to date knowledge of OA business and affairs. You will need to be
computer literate and have daily access to the internet. As a member of an
NSB sub-committee you should have 3 months current abstinence and be
working the 12 steps with a sponsor.
If interested, please contact Rachel [email protected]
Thank you for your willingness to do this service.
Visitors are very welcome at all
of our meetings. Our next one
is on 12th April 2014 in
Birmingham.
Fri 17 – Sun 19 October 2014
Hosted by North of England
Integroup
National Assembly
Fri 16 – Sun 18 October 2015
Fri 21 – Sun 23 October 2016
We need IG’s to put together a
bid to host future NA – please
consider this in your IG,
especially if you have not
recently hosted.
National Assembly 2014 - Sheffield
The National Assembly is to be held in Sheffied in October 2014. It will be
hosted by North of England Intergroup.
National Assembly 2015
We currently don't have an IG to host this next year. And we need one! North
of England will be hosting this year and Devon and Cornwall last year. So can
all IGs who haven’t hosted for a while please give this serious consideration.
There are very comprehensive guidelines available, so please email Sue J, on
[email protected] to talk about this.
Website update – appeal for stories
The website redesign was launched at the beginning of October 2013 at
http://www.oagb.org.uk. We are still looking for members' stories of their
recovery for our Testimonials page. Ideally these will be sharing your
experience, strength and hope about OA in about 500 words. Please send
these, and any questions to [email protected].
Forthcoming Events
Retreat: ‘Focus on Willingness
and Humility‘, Pleshey,
Chelmsford 21-23 March 2014
Workshop: ’Abstinence is the
most important thing in my life
without exception‘, Sale,
Manchester 22 March 2014
Retreat: ‘We absolutely insist
on enjoying life‘, Ilkley, West
Yorkshire 16-18 May 2014
‘Back to Basics Big Book Study
& Workshop‘ weekend, Noddfa,
North Wales 23-25 May 2014
Convention: Heart of England
Intergroup’s 14th Annual OA
Convention, Birmingham 11th 13th July For further details and
to book,
see www.hoeconvention.org.uk
.
Overeaters Anonymous Great Britain
A Registered Charity No. 1059240. Company Limited by guarantee Registration No.3266580 England
Registered Office: 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS
Page 1 of 4
GREAT BRITAIN
From the OAGB Treasurer
To all Groups/Intergroups
February 2014
Hope this letter finds you in the best of health. I would first like to thank
everyone for the generous contributions that you made to National Service
Board (NSB). They have supported the work of NSB for the last year.
NSB Officers
It is with the hope that I am writing to you. Thanks to the wonderful donations
and support of OA members, we were successful in collecting enough money
to support delegates to National Assembly in October 2013 and updated
OAGB website as well as many other ways keep NSB day to day work:
maintaining the website, sending delegates to WSBC, supporting the National
Assembly.
This time i wish to remind you about "the 7th Tradition" We are self supporting
through our own contributions. Please be generous in your contributions. Just
think how much we spent when we were in addictive behaviours. Does our
Abstinence cost as much as we paid for our food addictive behaviour. Most or
us will agree that Abstinence is bigger than just "leaving food addiction behind"
we received many gifts from the program and one of them is financial health.
Decreases in contributions at the group level means less will be passed to the
Intergroup and to the NSB and this will have an effect on the NSB
contributions to region 9 and World Service Office.
Encourage your group members to look at different ways to increase their
Tradition 7 contribution.
Give as your life depends on it. Think how much your recovery is worth to
you?
Think for a minute about following questions and if you wish to take them to
your meeting:
What does "I am self-supporting" means for your financial recovery?
Does your group contribute to Intergroup?
Does your group contribute to OAGB?
Is your group planning to send delegate to National Assembly October 2014
and setting a reserve for this?
Sue J (Chair)
Elena (Treasurer)
Emma (Secretary)
Pam (Literature)
Rachel (Communications)
NSB meetings 2014
Visitors are very welcome at all
of our meetings. Our next one
is on 12th April 2014 in
Birmingham.
National Assembly
2014 - Sheffield
Fri 17 – Sun 19 October 2014
Hosted by North of England
Integroup
National Assembly
Fri 16 – Sun 18 October 2015
Fri 21 – Sun 23 October 2016
We need IG’s to put together a
bid to host future NA – please
consider this in your IG,
especially if you have not
recently hosted.
Forthcoming Events
Retreat: ‘Focus on Willingness
and Humility‘, Pleshey,
Chelmsford 21-23 March 2014
You can make contributions by cheque to PO box or bank transfer.
Workshop: ’Abstinence is the
most important thing in my life
without exception‘, Sale,
Manchester 22 March 2014
If you have any questions please remember there is information available on
OAGB website or you can email me: treasurer @oagb.org.uk
Retreat: ‘We absolutely insist
on enjoying life‘, Ilkley, West
Yorkshire 16-18 May 2014
We learn this is a WE program and we can do together what we cannot do
alone.
‘Back to Basics Big Book Study
& Workshop‘ weekend, Noddfa,
North Wales 23-25 May 2014
With gratitude in service
Elena
Convention: Heart of England
Intergroup’s 14th Annual OA
Convention, Birmingham 11th 13th July For further details and
to book,
see www.hoeconvention.org.uk
Overeaters Anonymous Great Britain
A Registered Charity No. 1059240. Company Limited by guarantee Registration No.3266580 England
Registered Office: 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS
Page 2 of 4
GREAT BRITAIN
February 2014
From The OAGB Chair
NSB Officers
Thanks to the power of this programme, my Higher Power and you guys its
been over 16 years since it has been necessary for me to binge and
compulsively overeat. I am very grateful. Personally I sense a real
commitment and growth within our Fellowship currently; there are more
workshops and retreats happening, more strength in our meetings, increased
confidence in ourselves and our solution, based on a stronger commitment to
abstinence and working the steps than I have felt previously. I am firmly
committed to staying in the middle of the OA bed today and I hope you stay
there too.
We had a really inspiring National Assembly in Plymouth last October, and
look forward to another one in Sheffield later this year. Preferably your group
will be able to plan ahead to fund a rep, but as before we will have a delegate
assistance fund. The cut off date will probably be earlier than last year so
please plan to apply early (probably June or July) if your group is going to be
unable to fund raise to cover the costs between now and October.
We are now a National Service Board of just 5 members. We have no PI
officer - I am covering the PI answerphone and journalist enquiries via email.
This means that we are unable to do any pro active national PI on your
group/IG's behalf. We have formed a PI sub committee from the Assembly,
which does need some new members, if you are interested in joining this
please contact me. (Qualifications to join include 3 months current
abstinence, be working the steps, have some understanding of the traditions,
be working with a sponsor)
Running OAGB with five members is really too few to adequately and easily
cover the work involved, however we seem to be ticking along okay, so far,
and pray that no one needs to resign this year. During 2015 some current
Board members will finish their terms therefore it is imperative that we
recruit at least 2 new members this October. If the Board is left with less than
3 members then we have to wind up OAGB - this is a legal dictate. This will
mean no more UK based literature service and no UK based website,
amongst the other services to the British fellowship that OAGB provides. I ask
the question, is this what the OA groups and members in Britain want?
As I see it it's really up to each OA member to consider and be a part of what
happens here. My personal view is that serving like this is something
we might all plan into our 'OA service career' at least once. Is this service
something that you could do? Is there someone else who you think would be
able to do this and needs a little prompting or encouragement? As I heard
years ago - HP doesn't pick those who are qualified, but qualifies those who
are picked. I would add, or puts
Sue J (Chair)
Elena (Treasurer)
Emma (Secretary)
Pam (Literature)
Rachel (Communications)
NSB meetings 2014
Visitors are very welcome at all
of our meetings. Our next one
is on 12th April 2014 in
Birmingham.
National Assembly
2014 - Sheffield
Fri 17 – Sun 19 October 2014
Hosted by North of England
Integroup
National Assembly
Fri 16 – Sun 18 October 2015
Fri 21 – Sun 23 October 2016
We need IG’s to put together a
bid to host future NA – please
consider this in your IG,
especially if you have not
recently hosted.
Forthcoming Events
Retreat: ‘Focus on Willingness
and Humility‘, Pleshey,
Chelmsford 21-23 March 2014
Workshop: ’Abstinence is the
most important thing in my life
without exception‘, Sale,
Manchester 22 March 2014
Retreat: ‘We absolutely insist
on enjoying life‘, Ilkley, West
Yorkshire 16-18 May 2014
‘Back to Basics Big Book Study
& Workshop‘ weekend, Noddfa,
North Wales 23-25 May 2014
Convention: Heart of England
Intergroup’s 14th Annual OA
Convention, Birmingham 11th 13th July For further details and
to
book,
see www.hoeconvention.org.uk
Overeaters Anonymous Great Britain
A Registered Charity No. 1059240. Company Limited by guarantee Registration No.3266580 England
Registered Office: 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS
Page 3 of 4
GREAT BRITAIN
themselves forward - and I would also add, our recovery programme is one of
action, not thinking, or even prayer. Can I ask that you please ensure that this
is on the agenda of each Intergroup meeting you attend between now and
October - it is vital to the future of our national Fellowship.
As a relatively small Board this year now is a great time to join. New members
get a service buddy and support from each other, we become connected with
the wider OA picture plus our personal programme is re-energised and
strengthened. Qualifications to stand for the NSB include faithful adherence to
the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA, at least one year of current
abstinence and at least two years of service beyond group level at the time of
election. If you don't currently meet these qualifications you might consider
how you would work towards them over the coming years. Each year we need
at least two new members coming on.
Please do not hesitate in contact me if you’re unsure or just want to know
more about any aspect of this email or the work of the Board- I am here to
serve.
Warmest wishes,
Sue
OAGB email loop
If you have details of an event or workshop your group or intergroup is putting
on, or anything you think might be of interest to OA members, please send it
to our email loop for distribution. [email protected].
And finally
We wish you all an abstinent day!
If you’d like to contact any of us then please do so via email:
Sue J:
Emma:
Pam:
Elena:
Rachel:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
February 2014
NSB Officers
Sue J (Chair)
Elena (Treasurer)
Emma (Secretary)
Pam (Literature)
Rachel (Communications)
NSB meetings 2014
Visitors are very welcome at all
of our meetings. Our next one
is on 12th April 2014 in
Birmingham.
National Assembly
2014 - Sheffield
Fri 17 – Sun 19 October 2014
Hosted by North of England
Integroup
National Assembly
Fri 16 – Sun 18 October 2015
Fri 21 – Sun 23 October 2016
We need IG’s to put together a
bid to host future NA – please
consider this in your IG,
especially if you have not
recently hosted.
Forthcoming Events
Retreat: ‘Focus on Willingness
and Humility‘, Pleshey,
Chelmsford 21-23 March 2014
Workshop: ’Abstinence is the
most important thing in my life
without exception‘, Sale,
Manchester 22 March 2014
Retreat: ‘We absolutely insist
on enjoying life‘, Ilkley, West
Yorkshire 16-18 May 2014
‘Back to Basics Big Book Study
& Workshop‘ weekend, Noddfa,
North Wales 23-25 May 2014
Convention: Heart of England
Intergroup’s 14th Annual OA
Convention, Birmingham 11th 13th July For further details and
to book,
see www.hoeconvention.org.uk
Overeaters Anonymous Great Britain
A Registered Charity No. 1059240. Company Limited by guarantee Registration No.3266580 England
Registered Office: 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS
Page 4 of 4