INTER-FELLOWSHIP SERVICES

Provided by the Colorado Service Group (CSG)
Cooperating in Outreach to Those Who Are Suffering since 1987

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.

 

  1. A Statewide “Meetings List” , showing groups from all the S-fellowships, for inquirers, helping professionals, and newcomers to let people know what meetings are available and how to visit them. Viewers can PRINT a copy of the list. From time-to-time, various meetings print copies for their Literature Table. Perhaps the most visited page in this website, for 25 years our InterFellowship Meetings List has been a key outreach to communities in our state.
  2. This Website: “coloradoservicegroup.org” provides information on all 12-Step S-fellowships and directs inquirers to all of Colorado’s S-meetings. A phone message at (303) 427-0176 listed as “Sexual Addiction Problems Organizations” in the White Pages of several Colorado phone books, directs callers to this website for information about “Sex-Related 12-Step Programs.”
  3. Telephone Information Message (303) 427-0176 listed in various Colorado Phonebooks (white pages), helps inquirers find this website and the information about our meetings, intergroups and fellowships.
  4. Statewide Retreats so recovering people may share their experience, strength and hope. Speakers from all the S-fellowships have appeared by invitation since the first retreat at the Evergreen Conference Center in August 1988. Go to the Home Page for announcements of the next CSG event.

Interfellowship Information Projects:

  • Recovery Stories from Colorado members, which supplement fellowship-wide literature. Click here for those Stories.
  • Comparisons of differing concepts and practices of the S-fellowships:
    • The Twelve Steps – A Comparison of all Ten S-Fellowships… highlighting the ways they differ from the original AA version and each other.
    • Self-Discovery Tools – the questionnaire of each fellowship
    • The Obsession (defined) – as expressed in the First Step of each of the S-Fellowships
    • The Recovery Goal (described for the fellowship) – as expressed in the Third Tradition of each of the S-Fellowships.
  • Historical information: “The International Fellowships – How They Started & Why They Differ.”
  • Cross-Fellowship Sharing. During CSG events, any S-meeting may share the handouts they have created within their local group. Such cross-pollination from one fellowship to another has proven to be an invaluable resource to the personal recovery of individuals as well as a valuable resource to the autonomous meetings. For example, during the 1980’s SA and SLAA meetings wrestling with what to do about reporting or not reporting sexual abuse of children, were able to learn from the pioneering work of SAA meetings in Minnesota. Another example is the way that CSG retreats created a place for men or women to learn about RCA meetings where they might successfully address their coupleship problems.

DIFFERING BELIEFS, yet MUCH IN COMMON

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.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AMONG the S-FELLOWSHIPS

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.

MONTHLY BUSINESS MEETINGS

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.