The Colorado Service Group (CSG) is a cooperative effort of Colorado’s S-groups, to help in implementing their Primary Purpose as described in Tradition Five… to “carry the message to those who still suffer.” It is an “intergroup” defined by geography regardless of fellowship affiliation. CSG supplements the outreach done by individual members, the local meeting, denominational intergroups, or their international service offices. CSG provides these five services for autonomous local 12-Step meetings that govern and support it.
The Service Group began in December 1987 as a cooperative statewide committee serving the seven Sexahholics Anonymous and Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous meetings at that time. They hoped to create services collectively which none of them were getting done individually. Colorado Service Group is careful to respect the differing beliefs and practices of the various fellowships, focusing on what all have in common. Organized just like the denominational intergroups, local meetings send “group service representatives” (GSR’s), financial support, and provide details for the Meetings List, thereby maintaining their group autonomy. CSG does not “govern”; rather it is governed by the local groups through their trusted servants who participate in the monthly business meetings.
Four years after CSG was founded, a cooperative effort was begun by persons among Delegates of the international governing bodies of SAA, SCA and SLAA (meeting in Chicago in 1991) to explore how the S-fellowships could better cooperate in outreach to the suffering. After a gap of four years, this evolved into an annual gathering that came to also include delegates from SA, SRA and COSA. While participation of the various fellowships has varied from year to year, they developed a valuable list of ways to cooperate, some of which have been implemented. For instance, during the 1980’s, staff in the international service offices were not allowed to ever reference other fellowships. Due to efforts by persons in this Inter-Fellowship Forum (IFF) each fellowship considered and approved ways for central office staff to be able to refer inquirers to other S-meetings in areas of the world where that denomination has no meetings. This was a big step in broadening the application of the AA Traditions to meet modern needs.
The Inter-Fellowship Forum has a website (sfellowships.org) with a history of this endeavor including minutes from their meetings over seventeen years. In addition, the Board of Trustees of the ISO of SAA has published on their website a very helpful Guideline for Cooperation with Other S-Recovery Fellowships that acknowledges the value of cooperative efforts such as “listing local meetings of other S-recovery groups in information packets or use of common telephone lists.” They further state that, “The autonomy of local groups permits cooperative activities among S-recovery fellowships as dictated by group conscience.” To read the entire SAA document, click here. Colorado is by no means unique in offering cooperative inter-fellowship services. Cooperative meeting lists and inter-fellowship retreats have been going on for many years in countless other cities and states. For example, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, and Seattle, to name a few.
The CSG meets on the 1st Sunday afternoon of each month via teleconferencing to coordinate services provided to the member meetings. Being involved with persons from other meetings from across Colorado makes these gatherings a highlight of the month. Those friendships have become a backbone of stability for the small weekly meetings in each locale. Please read the job description and qualities needed to become a Group-Service Representative. To signup, you may contact the current CSG Chairperson via email at: info@coloradoservicegroup.org.
CSG is a Colorado non-profit corporation and can assist local S-meetings to establish their own bank accounts.