A.A.'s Three Legacies...
Recovery
Unity
Service
“Our Twelfth Step — carrying the message — is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.”
A.A. Service Manual pg 1 – A.A.’s Legacy of Service by Bill W. *
WHAT
IS
SERVICE
“It might be helpful to think of general service as a kind of dialogue or communication between the groups, the trusted servants working on their behalf, and the General Service Office and General Service Board as they all manage the Fellowship’s affairs. Questions, concerns, viewpoints and proposals travel from the groups “down the triangle”— and information and proposals head back “up the triangle” to the groups. And the communication continues.”
A.A. Service Manual pg 4 *
“The general service structure ensures that the groups in A.A. have a voice in the affairs of their own Fellowship. It is this, and yet, it is much more than this. A.A. was there for you when you needed it. The work you do as a trusted servant in general service helps ensure that A.A. will be there when alcoholics come for help in the future.”
A.A. Service Manual pg 1 *
“And so, as you embark on your own journey in general service, know that the Fellowship as a whole works because of the time and effort you give it. Many who have come before you will say it is the most rewarding service they’ve done. Given the worldwide Fellowship that A.A. has become, due in no small part to those efforts, it’s easy to see why.”
A.A. Service Manual pg 23 – *Reprinted with permission from Alcoholics Anonymous®