We had a very productive assembly at Sandia Prep in August. Thank you to all the GSR’s, DCM’s, Trusted Servants, and Area 46 members who participated. And a special thanks to District 18 for hosting us. You all did a wonderful job.
Speaking of assembly hosting, I was happy to see the assembly address some issues that are hampering our current assembly practices. Lack of available venues, the cost of venues, and hybrid/ WiFi requirements are some of the problems hosting districts are struggling with. As a result, it seems many of our districts are less eager to accept hosting responsibilities. Our 2025 draft budget includes a significant increase in Assembly Hosting Funds but, admittedly, the increase is only a partial solution. However we move forward, I believe this last assembly, with its valuable discussions, important decisions, and lively fellowship, showed the value of getting together and the need to ensure that we can continue to do so.
Our Area 46 CPC Committee brought a motion to the assembly floor to submit a Proposed Agenda Item (PAI) to the 75th General Service Conference. This PAI requests the addition of a new appendix to the 5th Edition Big Book citing contemporary research and medical opinion of the effectiveness and validity of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our assembly passed this motion unanimously and we look forward to hearing back from the Conference Committee. This is how we participate in the Circle of Love and continue to fulfill our responsibility.
As many of you know, Area 46 will be hosting the 2025 Southwest Regional Forum along with the General Service Office. Our new Hybrid Event Production Committee submitted and passed an assembly motion to make this event, of course, hybrid. This will be the first hybrid Regional Forum and Area 46 continues to be a pioneer in Alcoholics Anonymous.
In Service,
Christoph E., Area 46 Chairperson