Wyoming Western Area Service Committee

of Narcotics Anonymous

 Guidelines

 

Revised December 15, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          “Everything that occurs in the course of N.A. service must be motivated by the desire to more successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers.  It was for this reason that we began this work.  We must always remember that as individual members, groups and service committees, we are not and should never be in competition with each other.  We work separately and together to help the newcomer and for our common good. We have learned painfully that internal strife cripples our fellowship and prevents us from providing the service necessary for growth.” (Basic Text pg. XI)

 

Service Prayer

 

“God grant us knowledge that we may work according to your divine precepts.  Instill in us a sense of your purpose.  Make us servants of your will and grant us a bond of selflessness, that this may truly be your work, not ours, in order that no addict anywhere need die from the horrors of addiction.” (Basic Text pg. XI)

 

Twelve Concepts

 

  1. To fulfill our fellowship’s primary purpose, the NA groups have joined together to create a structure, which develops, coordinates, and maintains services on behalf of NA as a whole.

 

  1. The final responsibility and authority for NA services rests with the NA groups.

 

  1. The NA groups delegate to the service structure the authority necessary to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to it. 

 

  1. Effective leadership is highly valued in Narcotics Anonymous.  Leadership qualities should be carefully considered when selecting trusted servants.

 

  1. For each responsibility assigned to the service structure, a single point of decision and accountability should be clearly defined.

 

  1. Group conscience is the spiritual means by which we invite a loving God to influence our decisions.

 

  1. All members of a service body bear substantial responsibility for that body’s decisions and should be allowed to fully participate in its decision-making processes.

 

  1. Our service structure depends on the integrity and effectiveness of our communications.

 

  1. All elements of our service structure have the responsibility to carefully consider all viewpoints in their decision-making process.

 

  1. Any member of a service body can petition that body for the redress of a personal grievance, without fear of reprisal.

 

  1. NA funds are to be used to further our primary purpose, and must be managed responsibly.

 

  1. In keeping with the spiritual nature of Narcotics Anonymous, our structure should always be on of service, never of government.

 

 

Twelve Traditions

 

     We keep what we have only with vigilance, and just as freedom for the individual comes from the Twelve Steps, so freedom for the group springs from our Traditions.

     As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well.

 

  1. Our common welfare should come first: personal recovery depends on N. A. unity.

 

  1. For our group conscience there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.  Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.

 

  1. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using

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  1. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or N.A. as a whole.

 

  1. Each group has but one primary purpose- to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.

 

  1. An N.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the N.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

 

  1. Every N.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

 

 

  1. Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

 

  1. N.A., as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

 

  1. Narcotics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the N.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

 

  1. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.

 

  1. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

 

Article I.  Name

 

Section 1.  The name of this committee shall be the Wyoming Western Area Service Committee (here in after referred to as the WWASC).

 

Article II.  Purpose

 

          Section 1.  An Area Service Committee (ASC) is a committee made up of elected officers, chairpersons of standing subcommittees, representatives (GSR’s) from groups, and other interested NA members within a designated area, which meets regularly for the expressed purpose of serving the specific needs of its member groups.  The WWASC shall meet every two months on the 4th Saturday, except when voted on and passed by two-thirds of the voting quorum, to change business meeting due to conflicting events.  The purpose of the WWASC is to be supportive of its groups and members and their primary purpose by linking together the groups and members within the area, by helping groups and members deal with their basic situation and needs, and by encouraging the growth of the fellowship.  It shall do so in accordance with the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts of Narcotics Anonymous.

 

          Section 2.  This area shall consist of the groups and members in South, Central and Western Wyoming.  Others groups not participating in a functional ASC may attend, participate, and join the ASC.

 

Article III.

 

          Section 1.  An NA group is a meeting, which occurs regularly at a specified place and time and follows the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of NA.  An NA group may become active in the WWASC by attending a WWASC meeting.  Should a group choose to become active in the WWASC, they have a three consecutive business meeting attendance requirement, 2 of those 3 by physical presence, before being included as part of the Area quorum.  Therefore their attendance or lack of attendance does not effect the voting of the quorum.  They still have a right to vote upon becoming active.  Upon a group becoming active they must submit a copy of their service committee guidelines for record of the area.

 

          Section 2.  Attendance may be physical presence, phone proxy or written correspondence prior to the scheduled meeting.

 

          Section 3.  An NA group will be declared inactive in the WWASC upon its second consecutively missed WWASC meeting.  To become active again, a group shall follow the same procedure as for a new group becoming active in the WWASC.

 

Article IV. Officers

 

          Section 1.  The officers shall consist of a Chairperson, Alternate Chairperson, Secretary, Regional Committee Member (RCM), Alternate Regional Committee Member, and a Treasurer/Literature Chair.  (If number of active members allows this position can be broken into a separate Treasurer and Literature Chair).

 

          Section 2.  No individual shall serve more than two consecutive full terms in the same position or hold more than one WWASC office simultaneously.  An officer may however also serve on subcommittees.  The term of office for all offices shall be for 2 years (12 meetings).

 

          Section 3.  Officers and committee chairpersons may be removed from office for noncompliance after due notification by the WWASC and upon a two-thirds majority vote of the WWASC.  Missing two consecutive WWASC meetings with out written or personal participation will be considered automatic resignation.

 

          Section 4.  Interim officers may be elected as required.  Their term of office shall be for the remainder of their predecessor’s term.

 

          Section 5.  Questions concerning the election of trusted servants see the last page of this packet.

 

Article V.  Duties and Requirements for Officers

 

          Section 1.  Chairperson

a.      Duties- Arrange and prepare the agenda for and preside over the WWASC meetings and shall vote only in the case of a ties. Correspondence, being a co-signer on the WWASC bank account, declaring a group inactive

b.     Suggested Requirements- Have a working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, WWASC Guidelines, The Service Manual of NA, have a NA sponsor.  Suggested Minimum clean time- 2 years, and meeting experience

Section 2.  Alternate Chairperson

a.      Duties- coordinates all subcommittee functions.  In the absence of the Chairperson, the Alternate Chairperson shall perform the duties of the Chairperson.

b.     Suggested Requirements- Have a working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, WWASC Guidelines, The Guide to Local Services, have a NA sponsor.  Suggested Minimum clean time- 1year.

Section 3.  Secretary

a.      Duties- records clear and accurate minutes of the WWASC meetings and distributes them to the GSR’s, officers, and standing subcommittee chairpersons within a two-week period after each meeting.  The Secretary is a co-signer of the WWASC bank account, keeps an updated log of Area policy actions, and updates the log after each business meeting.

b.     Suggested Requirements- Have a working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, WWASC Guidelines, The Service Manual of NA, have a NA sponsor.  Suggested Minimum clean time- 1year.

Section 4.  Treasurer

a.      The Treasurer shall make a r3eport of contributions and expenditures at each WWASC meeting, as well as an annual report at the end of the calendar year, and is a co-signer of the WWASC bank account.

b.     Suggested Requirements- Have a working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, WWASC Guidelines, The Service Manual of NA, have a NA sponsor.  Suggested Minimum clean time- 3 years.

Section 5.  Regional Committee Member (RCM)

a.      The RCM represents the WWASC at the regional level, attends Regional Service Committee meeting, and participated in any decisions affecting the region by speaking as the voice of the WWASC group conscience.  The CM may often be called upon to explain issues in accordance with the Twelve Traditions or Twelve Concepts.  The RCM will also be a co-signer of the WWASC bank account.

b.     Suggested Requirements- Have a working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, WWASC Guidelines, The Service Manual of NA, have a NA sponsor.  Suggested Minimum clean time-5 years.

Section 6.  Regional Committee Member Alternate

a.      The RCM Alternate attends the WWASC and Regional Service Committee meetings, and fills in for the RCM in case of his/her absence. 

b.     Suggested Requirements- Have a working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts, WWASC Guidelines, The Service Manual of NA, have a NA sponsor.  Suggested Minimum clean time- 3 years.

Article VI. Voting

 

          Section 1.  One half of the voting members shall constitute a quorum.  All voting shall be by means of secret ballot unless otherwise specified.

 

          Section 2.  On matters concerning the allocation of WWASC funds only, the GSR’s or their alternate may vote with the Chairperson casting a tie-breaking vote.  This type of vote will be voted on by the GSR’s present and by a simple majority.

 

          Section 3.  All other matters the voting members of the WWASC shall be GSR’s , officers, and chairpersons of standing subcommittees.  The Chairperson votes only in the case of a tie and may send the matter back to the membership of the individual groups for a vote, and/or may table the matter if a group consensus is unable to be reached.

 

          Section 4.  Any Area member may attend the WWASC meetings, participate in debate and discussion, and introduce motions.  A voting member of the WWASC must second all motions or the motion dies.

 

          Section 5.   Narcotics Anonymous members not addressed elsewhere in these guidelines shall be classified as observers.  NA members only shall have the specific right to request the floor.  The chairperson has the exclusive right to deny such requests, and the right to deny spurious motions.  The Chair’s decision is subject to appeal and may be overturned by a two-thirds majority of voting members present.

 

Article VII. Elections

 

          Section 1.  Nominations for all positions shall be accepted by notifying the Chairperson in a two-month period before the end of term and elections will be held at the end of term

 

          Section 2.  All nominations must be seconded by a voting member of the WWASC

 

          Section 3.  Voting on elections shall be done by secret ballot.  Simple majority determines the winner.

 

          Section 4.  Elections shall be held with the newly elected assuming the duties of their office or subcommittee chair immediately following the election meeting.

 

          Section 5.  Elections for the positions of Chairperson, treasurer/literature, and secretary shall be held every 2 years in October.  All other elections shall be held in April.  Positions that become vacant may be filled by willing persons voted in and their term shall end at the time their predecessors would have ended without resignation as previously stated.

 

Article VIII.  Meetings

 

          Section 1.  The Chairperson or Alternate Chairperson may call a special meeting of the WWASC with the agreement of one half of the officers. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson or Alternate Chairperson to contact all voting members of the WWASC in such Group

 

Article IX.  Travel Pay

 

          Section 1.  Travel expenses for officers shall be $0.20 per mile.  Travel for the RCM to Regional Service Meetings shall be $0.30 per mile.  GSR travel shall be paid for by the group they represent.

 

Article X.  Prudent Reserve.

         

          Section 1.  The prudent reserve for the WWASC shall be $350.

 

Article XI.  Standing Subcommittees

 

          Section 1.  The WWASC may establish, by majority vote, standing subcommittees as necessary and determine their duties and areas of responsibility.  Such standing subcommittees shall be autonomous in carrying out their assigned functions but shall be accountable to the WWASC.

          Section 2.  All standing Subcommittee Chairpersons shall be elected annually, and upon start of their term, will assume voting member status of the WWASC.  They may serve on the committee as the chair for no more than 2 years.

          Section 3.  Standing subcommittees may include but are not limited to Public Relations and Activities.

 

Article XII.  Temporary Committees

 

          Section 1.  The Chairperson of the WWASC shall have the authority to appoint temporary committees for such special purposes as may be deemed necessary to fulfill specific functions.  The purpose, membership, and duration of existence of any such temporary committee shall be specifically designated by the Chairperson at the time of appointment.

 

Article XIII.  Parliamentary Procedures.

         

          Section 1.  Meetings shall be conducted in an orderly manner with only one person speaking at a time and only one issue at a time being discussed until tabled, or resolved.  Persons wishing to speak must raise their hand and speak only when recognized by the Chairperson.  Also see Robert’s Rules of Order,  A copy of this shall be given to newly elected members along with the WWASC guidelines at the beginning of their term.

 

Article XIV.  Amendments

 

          Section 1.  Any member group may propose amendments to these guidelines at a regular WWASC meetings by submitting the proposal in writing.  The proposal will be voted on the following WWASC meeting.  A two-thirds majority vote, by ballot, of the WWASC is necessary to amend.  An amendment to the guidelines shall be effective immediately upon adoption unless it specifies otherwise. ASC Calendar:

 

Article XV.  Area Calendar                      

 

Wyoming Western Area Calendar

 

                       February

                            *

                      

                      April

                            *  Semi-annual Treasurer report - group donations

                            *  Semi-annual sub-committee budget reports - expenses vs. budgets

 

                      June

                           *  Hand out WWA inventory to GSR's

 

                      August

                           *  Western Wyoming Area Inventory

 

                      October

                           *  Semi-annual Treasurer report - group donations

                           *  Semi-annual sub-committee budget reports - expenses vs. budgets

                           *  Preliminary budget submittals:  internet, phone line, sub-committees,   

                               etc...

 

                       December

                           *  Budget approvals for the next year

                           *  Officer & sub-committee yearly summaries

                      NA Service/Learning Days?? 

 

 

Article XVI Startup Kit

The WWASC will donate a group starter kit to new groups coming in to the area when they are first starting a new group.  The new group will be given the material at the area business meeting.

 

 

Group Start-up Literature Package

 

Accepted on January 28, 1995  at the ASC meeting in Rawlins , WY

 

 

                                    1          Group Booklet                                                 

                                    4          Introductory Guide to NA        

                                    6          NA White Booklet                  

                                    11        Welcome Tags

                                    2          30 day keytags                        

                                    1          60 day keytag                          

                                    1          90 day keytag                          

                                    45        Pamphlets                                

                                   

 

                                    3 each:              #1 Who, What, How & Why

                                                            #5 Another Look

                                                            #6 Recovery And Relapse

                                                            #7 Am I an Addict?

                                                            #8 Just For Today

                                                            #9 Living the Program

                                                            #11 Sponsorship

                                                            #12 Triangle of Self Obsession

                                                            #13 Youth and Recovery

                                                            #14 One Addict’s Experience

                                                            #16 For the Newcomer

                                                            #19 Self Acceptance

                                                            #22 Welcome to NA

                                                            #23 Staying Clean on the Outside

                                                            #24 Hey, What’s the Basket For?

List of current Area Servants

List of Area literature currently available

 

            The Surrender to Win Group in Green River has group conscience to donate one (1) Basic Text to each of these literature packages.

 

            The 5th Street Group of Rock Springs has group conscience to donate one (1) It Works How and Why to each of these literature packages.

 

           

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Concerning all areas not covered by these guideline the Twelve Traditions, Twelve Concepts and the Service Manual of NA shall be the authority to settle all question of procedure.