An Update from GSA World Service Following our World Service Conference held in Boston in September 2016, the fellowship's World Service committees have been working hard on agenda items raised at the conference. Below are summaries provided by the committees; Contact webadmin@greysheet.org for any additional information:

Conference Committee
Working together to plan our next World Service Conference in 2018. A majority of Group Service Representatives and Intergroup Service Representatives who attended the World Service Conference in September 2016 voted for San Francisco as the next location for our World Service Conference. Chicago came a close second. Watch this space for updates on how this planning process progresses. You can also contact the Conference Committee for further information: Cindy S, email solofreesail@gmail.com, phone (PST) 510-499-6955 and Marjorie M, email marjorie.mayerson@gmail.com, phone EST 917-864-0032.

Their next meeting is planned for this month, date to be confirmed, where they will be working to develop content, structure, scheduling, and theme. They will be discussing preliminary research into possible venue, considering costs, timing, access to city centres, etc. The committee will be looking for what is the most cost efficient and accessible for the majority of delegates. In shaping the conference schedule, the committee will be taking on-board all the suggestions made by September's delegates for improvements – particularly to improve advance communications with delegates so that they can better prepare for the conference, and clearer communications while at the conference.

Structure Committee
Currently working on creating GSA's Service Manual, based on the original draft prepared by members of previous structure committees. A Service Manual is a description of the policies and procedures that guide every aspect of the GSA program.

The committee is looking at developing the motion for secret ballot voting at the conference as opposed to a show of hands. It is also developing proposals for a more streamlined process for approving all GSA literature. All literature which is currently noted as being Conference Approved, such as the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of GSA, will be brought to the next World Service Conference to be voted on by delegates. If you would like further updates from the Structure Committee you can contact Gary G on gguttman@compuserve.com or call EST 917 721 8269.

Literature Committee
inviting the fellowship to be involved with GSA's first book of stories. They are looking for your submissions; they need your vital energy to be a part of this and make it happen. They are looking for stories that tell the history of GSA, either globally, or in your area: who, what, where, when, why, how? Anonymity will, of course, be respected. Examples of possible stories include how the Greysheet spread from Cambridge, to all four corners of the world? We want to devote a chapter to stories from young people; a chapter of stories about "the family afterwards," and what we did to rectify and affirm the family unit, work place, friendships etc, after abstinence. We want to present the Twelve Concepts, as they play out in our fellowship, and how they work in our lives as individuals - and how they intersect with the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Please send your submissions to Richard Oliver, richardso285@gmail.com or contact him on EST 424 208 4813.

Public Information Committee
If you are aware of opportunities in your community to do some public information, get in touch with this committee who will be happy to guide you in the best way to do this type of outreach. If you have any public information stories, news articles that have been generated about GSA since last year in your area, please let the public information committee know, so that they can write about your progress.

The Slovakian GSA group is holding an event from 2 – 4 June 2017. They have invited health professionals to attend this event to learn more about GSA and our programme of recovery. Details of this event can be found at www.greysheet.org/events/no-matter-what-slovakia.

Archives Committee
Working with our web page administrator and web designer to introduce new web pages sharing the vital service role of Archives. Archives will become a main link from the Home page and will be structured into nested pages by the committee. These nested pages will list any minutes produced by the committees and the World Service Board. Watch this space for updates of these changes as they happen.

Communications Committee
Working to get pages set up on the website for each Committee, listing its contact information, together with a list of dates and times of their planned meetings. If you are working on a committee, please email sharonleighterry@gmail.com with your most up-to-date committee list and meeting schedule. This will help members of our fellowship know who is representing them at this level for this term and be able to contact the committees directly for updates.

Orientation for new GSRs: members of the fellowship contacted the Communications Committee to find out if there was a simple document outlining the basic role of the Group Service Representative. While GSA's Service Manual is still being developed, the following document: http://greysheet.org/images/pdf/GSA_Introduction_to_Service_for_new_GSRs.pdf
for new GSRs has been produced and is a great read. If you have anything you would like to add to this that you think would be helpful for a new GSR to know, please contact sharonleighterry@gmail.com with your suggestions and the Communications Committee will look at including it. Pass it on. You can also find it on the website, under Literature/Public Information Literature.

Summary of World Service Conference Minutes: for your ease of reference the Communications Committee has produced a brief summary of the main motions and processes that were voted on and passed by your GSRs and ISRs. If you want further information, you can read the full Minutes from the September 2016 World Service Conference here.  

What has been happening since the World Service Committee in September?

As you will have read from the list of motions and recommendations put forward by the service committees at the 2016 World Service Conference in September, each service committee has their 'plates full' of jobs that need to be done between now and the next World Service Conference in 2 years time.

These service committees are made up of members like you and me - members of this fellowship with 90 days or more of back-to-back abstinence, who are working with a sponsor who has a sponsor - and who have volunteered their time to help GSA carry the message to the compulsive eater.

An Update from the Literature Committee

The literature committee is the committee who are working on pieces of GSA literature which the fellowship is using to communicate our program of recovery to our members and to those who are still suffering and who may be searching for a solution.

If you have editing, writing, organisation skills and experience, please contact the chair of this committee, Richard O, richardso285@gmail.com, +1 (424) 208-4813. This service committee needs your support. Our literature cannot write itself.

The committee are currently working to finalize the pamphlets "To Professionals" and "A Solution for Compulsive Eating". An announcement will be made when they are available for download from the Literature section on our website. Remember to visit this link to order your copy of GSA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.

The Literature committee are also collecting stories from members for the next GSA book to include a chapter on the History of GSA, the Family Afterwards, the Potential 18-34 year old Compulsive Eater, the Traditions and Concepts at Work. Please email your stories to richardso285@gmail.com, or call to chat on +1 (424) 208-4813. The literature committee meets via phone every Sunday at 3:30pm EST. You're welcome to join. Contact Richard O for phone meeting number.

An Update from the Communication Committee

Please contact sharonleighterry@gmail.com with any ideas for topics of service you would like to read about in this newsletter; email us with any service-related questions you would like answers to – and these will be published in the next edition of Service Matters.

If you have 90 days or more of back-to-back Greysheet abstinence, are social media-savvy, understand privacy settings on Facebook - the communications committee needs your help to finalize GSA's "Using Social Media Safely Guidelines". Please email sharonleighterry@gmail.com if you can help.

GSA Events

Check the website for the latest GSA Events coming up. A February Queens NY Roundup is being planned. Dates to be confirmed.

Register Your Group/Change Group Information

If you have not done so already, please make sure you register your group on our website at Face-to-Face Meetings/Group Registration Form.

If you have registered your group, take a moment to check your group information. It is your responsibility to make sure your information is correct. This is to ensure that newcomers and regular members get the correct information they need to attend your groups – and that your group service representative gets updates from GSA World Services to bring to your group. Please email any changes to your group information to webservant@greysheet.org.

International Phone List

Members that elect to be added to the list may email phonelist@greysheet.org. If you want to unsubscribe from this list or your information has changed, you need to email phonelist@greysheet.org in order to do this. It is your responsibility to ensure that information is correct for subscribers. For example, if you are no longer available to sponsor, please make sure you email phonelist@greysheet.org to let them know – so that your record can be updated. This list is as up-to-date as the information it receives. When you as a sponsor are directing newcomers to these resources, please let them know that not all this information will be perfectly up-to-date and that when they come across numbers that are no longer working or members who tell them they are no longer members of GSA – to please email phonelist@greysheet.org with these updates. This is the only way this list can be kept current.

Sponsors List

If you volunteered to put your name down as a sponsor on the sponsor list on the website, please check that your information is still up-to-date. If you are no longer available to sponsor and want your name removed from this list, please email webservant@greysheet.org with this information and your name will be removed. It is your responsibility to let us know when this information changes, so that we can make sure this information is as up-to-date for the newcomer as possible.

International Contacts List

If you submitted your email address as a contact person in your country for international visitors to reach when they are travelling, please check your information is still up-to-date. If you are no longer the contact person in your country for visitors, then please email webservant@greysheet.org with these updates. Step up to service – this is your time to make history too!