East Valley Information Center. Newsletter. May 2017 District 11, 12, and 13 Issue 23. Step Four It s All About Me

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1 East Valley Information Center Newsletter May 2017 District 11, 12, and 13 Issue 23 AL-ANON East Valley Information Center Officers and Coordinators Chair Lisa R. Vice-Chair Lee R. Secretary Jane W. Treasurer Chelsea G. Office Mgr. Nancy E. AA Liaison Rosemary B. Alateen Mary S. Archives (open) Events Karin L. Fundraising (open) Home Calls Michelle F. Info. Distrib. Julie W. Institutions Janie S. Literature Mary C. Meeting List Cecilia D. Newsletter Marty M. EVIC Liaison Wendy H. Public Outreach Christine Website Mary Ann N. District 11 DR Ann S. District 12 DR Carrie T. District 13 DR Elisabeth B. EVIC business meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend. East Valley Information Center 1320 E. Broadway Rd. #109 Mesa, AZ Step Four It s All About Me It takes a lot of courage to know ourselves, to know our emotions, the why behind our actions. Dissecting ourselves, extracting the splinters, is terribly hard and draining work. There were and are plenty of times when I don't feel like doing it because it sucks...but I also know that it is imperative for my spiritual well-being. Knowing myself means knowing my ugliness and having grace for myself anyway, even though there are moments when I don't want to see it, don't want to share it, even if what I'm learning could be healing for both myself and others. Sometimes the work I want to do the least is the work I need to do the most. For myself. For my emotional and spiritual development. For the life and longevity of my goals. I am working Step Four out of our new Paths to Recovery Workbook: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. There are 46 questions asked in this chapter. I have chosen: Do I understand the Spiritual Principle of an inventory? None of the prior Steps seem as unsettling as the Fourth Step because it's about ME! Not like Step One (admitted) or Step Two (being restored) or Step Three (decided), Step Four requires Courage to look at myself and move forward. This Step is not intended to work alone but with a Sponsor's care and guidance. No wonder the Steps are in order. The Spiritual Principles in Steps One, Two, and Three serve me well as I begin working Step Four. Willingness is key to looking at myself without reservation. I made it here because I was willing to turn my will and my (Continued on page 2) Help is needed at the E.V.I.C. Office to answer phones and welcome walk-ins. To help for a few hours a week, call Nancy at on Monday or Wednesday at the E.V.I.C. office. See pages 2 and 6 for more information! office@al-anoneastvalley.org Al-Anon Declaration Let it begin with me. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, let the hand of Al-Anon and Alateen always be there, and -- Let It Begin with Me. Serenity Prayer God give me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.

Memorial Day Weekend Family Recovery Night and Speaker Meeting Saturday, May 27 St. Peter Lutheran Church 1844 E. Dana Ave., Mesa We re providing the main course (BBQ in nature) and drinks.

2 Memorial Day Weekend Family Recovery Night and Speaker Meeting Saturday, May 27 St. Peter Lutheran Church 1844 E. Dana Ave., Mesa We re providing the main course (BBQ in nature) and drinks. You ll bring the sides/salads and desserts potluck style! 50/50 Raffle! 5:30 Fellowship, Food, and Fun (Family game night at each table.) 7:00 AA and Al-Anon Speakers A.A: Scott W. Al-Anon: Mike S. Babysitting will be available during the speaker meeting. Hosted by Tempe 12-Step AFG (Continued from page 1) life over to the care of the God of my understanding. By admitting my powerlessness in Step One, I practice Honesty which gets a workout in Step Four. Courage kicks in as I put pen to paper without fear. Fear of retribution. Fear of vindication. Fear of reprisal. Fear of being exposed for what I really am. Alcoholism created masks of bravado, coping mechanisms and/or survival skills to get me to this point of recovery. The Fourth Step helps me to see what these really are: character defects. A searching and fearless moral inventory is just like any other inventory. I take stock of what's working and what's not working. The Faith and Trust I practiced in Steps Two and Three comes into play here. As I jot down my deeds, it serves me well to remember that a loving caring God is with me. The Fourth Step is really one of the kindest and most loving things that l can do for myself. It is not a way to beat myself up but to be gentle and kind with myself during this process of discovery and to not give up. I went to many meetings while working my Fourth Step with my Sponsor and as I spoke about it with her and at meetings, my fear lessened. Rosemary B. Tempe, AZ Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Tradition 5: Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics. Concept 5: The rights of appeal and petition protect minorities and insure that they be heard. 2

3 Family Recovery 23rd Anniversary By the Book - First Things First - The 3 Cs Help us celebrate our gratitude of family recovery in Al-Anon and Alateen Saturday, May 13th 5 PM: Social 5:30 PM: Mexican Style Pot Luck 7:00 PM: Alateen, Al-Anon and AA Speakers RESURRECTION CATHOLIC CHURCH 3201 S. EVERGREEN RD. TEMPE, AZ (North of Southern, ½ mile east of Hwy 101) Mexican Pot Luck by last name beginning: ENTRÉE: A - I CHIPS AND SALSA: J - M QUESO OR 7 LAYER DIP: N - Z Beverages & dessert will be provided PLEASE COME JOIN US! Save the Date! Winter Extravaganza Saturday, November 11, :30-9:30 p.m. St. Peter Lutheran Church 1844 E. Dana Ave., Mesa, AZ Join a committee and help make it a great success! winter@al-anoneastvalley.org EVIC LITERATURE REPORT We now have in stock the AL-ANON FACES ALCOHOLISM booklet for Public Outreach. This is the last printing for this year so now is the time to take advantage of getting some of these for your groups. Your cost is $.40 per booklet; they are not free to us, but we can give them out free as an outreach project within our groups. We also have in stock the new Paths to Recovery Workbook as well as the companion hardback book by the same name. The new workbook will cost you $11 and the hardback companion book will cost you $ I believe it was reported in the Message Carrier that the workbooks were $10. Our price at $11 accounts for the shipping costs which we pass on to our members. What I did for a little research project was to order both books online through the WSO website. The cost would be $40 for both books which includes $10 for shipping. Our cost here at EVIC for both books would be $31.90 which also includes the shipping. Currently the workbooks online are out of stock, but we have plenty here to purchase. I have been told by others that because our shelves have not been kept full, they have resorted to ordering online. I want to assure you that I am ordering literature about every two weeks. Once ordered it takes about three to four weeks to receive the order. If you don t see the books on the shelves, we have additional books in the storage cabinet to the right of the shelves. Also, if you are in need of a quantity of a specific book for an upcoming workshop or event, please let me know and I will be glad to order them for you. Just keep in mind it will take approximately three weeks to receive once ordered so plan ahead. I have been notifying our information coordinator for EVIC when books have come in so that she can post and you will know they are here. I can be reached at: lit@al-anoneastvalley.org Thanks for letting be of service to this awesome fellowship. Mary Cancik, EVIC Literature Coordinator 3

EVIC Al-Anon Home Calls Open Shifts Available Are you looking for an easy way to be of service? Taking calls for EVIC during off hours (5PM to 9AM) could be the answer!

A willing Al-Anon member and phone is all that is needed. Most of the time the person on the end of the line is looking for a meeting and hope.

Newest copies of Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2017 are available in the E.V.I.C. office at a cost of $.40 apiece. First come first served!! Service Opportunity!

4 EVIC Al-Anon Home Calls Open Shifts Available Are you looking for an easy way to be of service? Taking calls for EVIC during off hours (5PM to 9AM) could be the answer! Consider taking one shift, several, or a portion of a shift Calls are forwarded to your personal phone. You do not need to leave the comfort of your home! Instructions are easy. A willing Al-Anon member and phone is all that is needed. Most of the time the person on the end of the line is looking for a meeting and hope. Available shifts are: All Monday shifts EXCEPT the second Monday of the Month All Thursday shifts. Please contact Michele Fleming at to help spread the word! Newest copies of Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2017 are available in the E.V.I.C. office at a cost of $.40 apiece. First come first served!! Service Opportunity! Are you available on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m.? Have you been through all 12 Steps with a sponsor? Would you like to share your Experience, Strength, and Hope about how you worked the steps and how they worked for you? Are you able to make a five-week commitment? If so, the Sunday Beginner s Step Meeting is looking for you! We are an all speakers all the time meeting, and we group the steps as follows: Week 1: Steps 1, 2, and 3 Week 2: Steps 4 and 5 Week 3: Steps 6 and 7 Week 4: Steps 8 and 9 Week 5: Steps 10, 11, and 12 The same person speaks every week for 5 weeks and is also the chairperson. Because we have a lot of newer members and attract a lot of newcomers, we start every week with Steps 1, 2, and 3 the foundation steps. Does this sound interesting? Come and join us for a few weeks! We love our meeting and we re sure that you will too! Pigeon Coop 4415 S. Rural Road SE corner of Rural and US 60 behind Denny s in the strip mall next to the bowling alley Contact Elisabeth for more information at

AL-ANON and AA OPEN SPEAKER MEETING 2 nd Saturday of each month 7:00 pm 8:30 pm If there are 5 Saturdays in the month, there is a second meeting on the 4 th Saturday. Many Voices One Journey!

Dunlap Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85201 Queen Creek Meeting House 19729 E. San Tan Blvd., Queen Creek Save the Date!

For complete details and information on registering, go to: http://www.azal-anonconvention.

5 AL-ANON and AA OPEN SPEAKER MEETING 2 nd Saturday of each month 7:00 pm 8:30 pm If there are 5 Saturdays in the month, there is a second meeting on the 4 th Saturday. Many Voices One Journey! Muchos voces un mismo viaje! 2017 AFG of Arizona Al-Anon/Alateen Convention with AA Participation July 14-16, 2017 The Sheraton Crescent Hotel 2620 W. Dunlap Avenue Phoenix, AZ Queen Creek Meeting House E. San Tan Blvd., Queen Creek Save the Date! September 29th-October 1st, 2017 Prescott Resort and Conference Center Prescott, AZ for the 2017 AA State Convention with Al-Anon Participation Register now! Bring a friend! For complete details and information on registering, go to: **Registration form available on page 7** Scholarships available: For info, please convchair@al-anon-az.org Looking for Stories of Experience, Strength, and Hope Share your writing with members of E.V.I.C. in this newsletter. You may remain anonymous or sign your first name. Help is available for proofreading and editing. Submit your writing to the newsletter coordinator at: news@al-anoneastvalley.org Upcoming Dates: 2017 Delegate s Day June 17 Sedona United Methodist Church, Sedona, AZ 2017 Al-Anon Convention July 14, 15, 16 Sheraton Crescent Hotel, Phoenix, AZ 2017 Fall AWSC August 19 Mingus View Presbyterian Church, Prescott Valley, AZ 2017 Fall Assembly October 14 St. Pius X Catholic Church, Tucson, AZ 5

6 Would you like to receive the Message Carrier? The Message Carrier is published after each AWSC and Assembly and carries all the reports from Area Officers, Coordinators, and Districts Representatives. You request a print and/or electronic copy by contacting the newsletter distributor at: newsletterdistrib@al-anon-az.org. Links to previous issues are available on the Area website at al-anon-az.org in the Members section. You may also subscribe from there. We need your help!! Volunteers needed to work at the EVIC office for either the morning (9:30-1:00) or afternoon (1:00-4:30) shift on Friday. Volunteers will be trained and there is an office worker s notebook to refer to. Your duties will include: answering the phone selling literature fielding questions distributing materials Feeling energetic and want to do more work at the office? You can: vacuum and clean up organize literature spruce up the place Feeling like you ve got a lot of your own things to do? You can: read a book or write a letter knit or sew bring your laptop or tablet we ve got wi-fi! Call Nancy at or Share your experience, strength, and hope. Submit your story to news@al-anoneastvalley.org If you want to share but need some help, I can assist. Let s work together to help others! Marty M. From Nancy E., Manager at the E.V.I.C. Office Thank you to everyone who has come to the E.V.I.C office to attend meetings, get information, and buy literature. We currently need staffing for the following shifts: Tuesday: 1:00-4:30 Thursday: 9:30-1:00 and 1:00-4:30 Friday: 9:30-1:00 and 1:00-4:30 Anyone willing to volunteer to fill in any of the openings above may contact Nancy at or or her at office@al-anoneastvalley.org Call ahead to make sure we are here if you want to come in! We are looking for used Al-Anon books that we can resell for half price. We have a some gently-used books available for purchase. 6

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East Valley Information Center. Newsletter. July 2017 District 11, 12, and 13 Issue 25

East Valley Information Center Newsletter July 2017 District 11, 12, and 13 Issue 25 AL-ANON East Valley Information Center Officers and Coordinators Chair Lisa R. Vice-Chair Lee R. Secretary Jane W. Treasurer