GreySheet Phone Meeting Format

Introduction

My name is ___________, a compulsive overeater, and your leader for this meeting.

After a moment of silence for those who still suffer, will those who care to please join me in the Serenity Prayer.

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Is there someone on the call who can read the GreySheet Preamble?  (If not, the Secretary/Leader reads)

GreySheeters Anonymous Preamble*

GreySheeters Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from compulsive overeating.  The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop eating compulsively.  There are no dues or fees for GSA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.  GSA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes.  Our primary purpose is to stay abstinent and help other compulsive overeaters to achieve abstinence.

Is there someone on the call who can read the Cambridge GreySheet Group Purpose?  (If not, the Secretary/Leader reads)

Cambridge GreySheet Group Purpose

This group has been founded and designed to discuss the fundamentals or basics of attaining and maintaining Greysheet abstinence.  For that purpose, we explore together the utilization of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous in arresting compulsive eating.  We strongly support Greysheet.  We require that our meeting leaders be abstinent for at least 3 months on the Greysheet.  We support a vigorous and positive attitude toward Greysheet abstinence---which we define as 3 weighed and measured meals a day with nothing in between, but black coffee, tea, or diet soda.

Is there someone on the call who would like to read the Twelve Steps?  (If not, the Secretary/Leader reads)

The Twelve Steps*

1. We admitted we were powerless over food - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Is there someone on the call who would like to read the Tradition of the month (Example: Tradition One for the month of January or Tradition Six for the month of the June) as well as the Twelfth Tradition?  (If not, the Secretary/Leader reads)

The Twelve Traditions of GreySheeters Anonymous*

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon GreySheeters Anonymous unity.
2. For our group purpose 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.
3. The only requirement for GSA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or GSA as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the overeater who still suffers.
6. A GSA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the GSA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every GSA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. GSA should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. GSA as such ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. GSA has no opinion on outside issues; hence the GSA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and film.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Would everyone who cares to, please say your name and where you are calling from?

Guidelines for Phone Meetings with Moderators

There are a few guidelines to help the phone meeting run smoothly.

1. When connecting to the bridge, you automatically come in muted.
2. Press the * key, then 1 key, to un-mute when you wish to share.  You will hear a voice say, "This line is now un-muted." To mute your line again, you also will press *, then 1.
3. The muting and un-muting functions do not work properly unless you use the phone bridge commands from your telephone keypad.  Using buttons labeled "mute" on your telephone, head sets or computer will not keep echoes and other noises that originate from your line from creating distractions on the bridge.
4. It is important to keep yourself muted at all times unless you are sharing.
5. Before Qualifying or Sharing, please give your area code and first three digits of your telephone number so that the Moderator will know who is sharing and can adjust your volume so that you may be heard, and neither mute nor drop your call from the bridge.  If you are calling in from overseas, please give your country code and the first four digits of the rest of your number.
6. Please eliminate background noise when you are sharing.
7. Please resist the desire to cross-talk, which means any direct comment on another person's share.  Your intention may be to show support, but commenting directly on another person's share could be misinterpreted.
8. By Group Conscience, both the Leader and the Moderator are empowered to interrupt to address distractions, including foul language.  The Moderator also has the responsibility to mute or drop lines that are causing distractions.
9. Please note that Moderators are Trusted Servants, who are members of the Greysheeters Anonymous Community. They are not employees of the Conference Bridge Company.

7th Tradition

The 7th Tradition states that there are no dues or fees for GSA membership.  We are self-supporting declining outside contributions.  Is our Treasurer on the line?  (If not, the Secretary/Leader gives the name and address of the Treasurer).

Please note the meeting to which your donation is to be credited; the Treasurer for one meeting may be serving as Treasurer for several meetings at the same time.  If you can contribute, please do so!  These meetings help us to reach GreySheet members and newcomers far and wide.  If you cannot contribute, keep coming back.  Having you with us is just as important!

Qualifier

Is our Speaker on the call?

It is my pleasure to turn the meeting over to _____________________ who will qualify for approximately 15 to 20 minutes on his or her experience, strength, and hope.  (Thank the Qualifier).

Announcements

GreySheet-Related Announcements are submitted to the Secretary/Leader ahead of time, and the Secretary/Leader makes announcements at this time.

Page 17 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states, "The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution.  We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly harmonious action."  That common solution for us is GreySheet abstinence.  Members on the call who are counting 90 days or less of back-to-back GreySheet abstinence, please identify yourself by name and tell us your day count so that we may acknowledge you.

Do we have any members on the call who are celebrating anniversaries of GreySheet abstinence today or this past month? (Multiple Years, 1 Year, 9 months, 6 months)

Through sponsorship, we carry the message to others.  If you need a sponsor, please be prepared to take down names and telephone numbers of available GreySheet sponsors.  Are there any available GreySheet sponsors on the line?  Please state your name and phone number slowly.

Sharing

It is now time for positive pitches on GreySheet abstinence.  Who would like to start?
(3 - 5 minutes shares, during which a timer may be used.)

Closing

It is now five minutes before the top of the hour.  Does anyone have a brief "Burning Desire To Share" or is there someone who would just like to "Claim Their Seat?"

Thank you all for a great meeting and thanks again to our Qualifier _______________.

In closing, please remember our 3rd Tradition which states, "The only requirement for GreySheet membership is the desire to stop eating compulsively."  If you have heard anything that you do not understand or do not agree with, please ask your sponsor and Don't Eat No Matter What!

At this time, please call out the names of those persons from whom you would like to obtain a telephone number.  Could these people please stay on the call to give out their telephone numbers after we say the Serenity Prayer?  As the leader, I will stay on the line to make sure that everyone gets the phone numbers they need.  Thank you all for sharing and now, let us close with the Serenity Prayer.

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

The Secretary/Leader remains on the line to help members obtain telephone numbers and to briefly answer any questions from newcomers.

Phone Meeting Service

Regularly scheduled business meetings ("Group Conscience") are held by each phone meeting.

Each phone meeting is autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or GSA as a whole.

All service positions (Group Service Representative, Secretary, Booker, and Treasurer) except for the Moderator, are elected by each meeting's Group Conscience, and require 90 days of back-to-back GreySheet abstinence.

If there are no trusted servants to serve, then meetings may not get scheduled.