OPENING REPORT
C.A. WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE 2016
LITERATURE, CHIPS & FORMAT REPORT
INTRODUCTION AND OPENING COMMENTS:
The World Service Conference Literature, Chips, and Format (“LCF”) Committee reviews, edits, and submits literature to the WSC for approval. Our function is to manifest the expression of C.A.’s Hope, Faith and Courage through the writing of material for distribution. Each member of the LCF Committee is committed to facilitating this work. Literature allows us via the written word to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. In a growing fellowship such as C.A., where we cannot always be there to carry the message in person, our literature is a priceless tool to help support and inspire that growth. Finally, literature serves to preserve the integrity of the C.A. message.
The LCF Committee consists of members of Cocaine Anonymous worldwide who have a passion for and about the message we share in our pamphlets and books.
COMMITTEE INTRODUCTIONS:
Chair: Ginger L.
Vice Chair: Chuck B.
Secretary: Rose G.
Trustee: Anne M.
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Project Leads:
12 Step Companion Guide: Devin F.
12 Steps and 12 Traditions: Jason L.
12 Traditions and Concepts Illustrated: Elizabeth S.
H.O.W. Pamphlet: Elizabeth S.
Formats: Ryan A.
Other Members:
o Cathal M.
o Chiel B.
o Cynthia C.
o Kellie F.
o Sheyenn S.
o Thomas W.
o Tom P.
REFERRALS THAT WERE WORKED ON DURING THE YEAR:
REFERRAL 2015PC-LCF-1 – Regarding this year’s referral: 2015-LCF-6 – to create a new pamphlet called “Honesty, Open-Mindedness & Willingness”. Please name the pamphlet “Willingness, Honesty & Open-Mindedness” to reflect back to the reference in the Big Book: “We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.” (Big Book, Appendix II – Spiritual Experience). 09/05/15 – Jim S., +xx-xxxxxxxxxx, xxxxxx@xxxxxx, CAUK
REFERRAL 2015PC-LCF-2 – To create a new pamphlet called “The Spirit of Rotation.” 09/05/15 – Elizabeth S., (xxx) xxx-xxxx, xxxxxx@xxxxx, SGPVCA
REFERRAL 2015PC-LCF-3 – The pamphlet “To The Newcomer” is in our opinion drug specific particularly the first section that refers to “Who is a Cocaine Addict?” – we would like you +xx-xxxxxxx to make both bits of literature more inclusive to members that may not identify with cocaine addiction but other mind altering substances. 11/15/15 – Jim S., -xxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx@xxxxxx, CAUK
REFERRAL 2015PC-LCF-4 – Please can you consider having AA Just for Today card because I use it in the morning as part of my readings and I find it very useful, plus it’s good for newcomers to have. If this is not possible, can CA make their own up? 01/08/15 – Dean W, xxxxxxxx, xxxxxx@xxxx, CAUK
Responses to all of these referrals will be included in our conference report.
OVERVIEW OF PENDING PROJECTS AND PROGRESS MADE SINCE THE 2015
WSC:
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Projects currently in process:
12-Step Companion Guide: The Companion Guide sub-committee continues to move forward with the project and has advanced towards the goals we set out earlier this year. We collectively came up with a format we feel will satisfy the fellowship, being that the questions in the companion guide will be geared towards discussion with a sponsor and/or facilitate the instructions (such as step 4 inventory charts) laid out in the Big Book, as opposed to a pure ‘workbook’ style, with questions that may not require as much of a sponsee/sponsor work style, we hope this will continue to foster the principle of one addict working with another and allay fears that it can be just given to a newcomer to complete on their own. We have also voted to include a brief C.A. history section at the beginning as a kind of forward, and currently have committee members working on that.
So far we have; fully completed and edited drafts of step 4 and 5, a submitted draft for a couple other steps and at least one other step that is nearing draft completion.
12 Steps & 12 Traditions Book: Jason L. has the lead on this sub-committee.
With over 30 years of experience of our own to draw on, we have been asked to create a book for World Services Publication containing a series of essays that share our Fellowships experience of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. A flyer was created to solicit input from the Fellowship for this project and some of you may have seen it in Chicago. The sub-committee has been collecting material from past copies of the NewsGram, our published literature and World Convention shares/workshop recordings as a start towards writing these essays. The Trustees have also provided archived material of their responses to questions posed to them over the years. A working title and layout has been worked up and may be presented along with a draft project completion program in our closing report. We look forward to compiling the experience of the fellowship.
12 Traditions and Concepts Illustrated: Elizabeth S. is the lead on this sub- committee and has assembled a team, including graphic artists, to progress the project. This committee is working with both the 12 Step Companion sub- committee and the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions sub-committee in order to maintain consistency.
LCF Committee Guidelines: Tom P. has the lead on this sub-committee.
Revision of the committee guidelines is an on-going process. We will be making a motion at this conference to approve the updated Introduction page. This is an update to our existing guidelines to better reflect the purpose of the LCF committee and was included in the SR-14 mailing. We will also present
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a motion to officially change the name of the committee to Literature, Chips and Formats. This simple change is to reflect the fact that the fellowship does have more than one meeting format.
Meeting Formats: Ryan A. is the lead on this subcommittee. We will be bringing a motion at this conference to approve the Suggested General Speaker Meeting Format that was sent out in the SR-14 mailing. It closely mirrors our previously approved formats; Suggested Participation Meeting Format and Suggested Step Study Meeting Format.
Honesty, Open-mindedness, and Willingness pamphlet: Elizabeth S. is lead on this subcommittee. The committee has been busy working hard on this pamphlet. We have completed two of the three topics – open-mindedness and willingness. We will continue to work to have this pamphlet ready for the next SR-14. It is always a pleasure to serve the fellowship that has saved our lives.
CLOSING COMMENTS:
We encourage and look forward to new members joining our committee. Please come and join LCF and help us help the addict who still suffers as well as support the growth of this amazing Fellowship. No special skills are needed! You don’t have to be a journalist or an editor or even a writer to be a member of LCF.
Thank you for allowing us to be of service. Ginger L., LCF Chair
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Tony D. – Any questions?
Henry A. – 12 Traditions-When you are looking for stories is there anything you are using as a starting place?
Jason L. – We will be using our experience. Henry A. – Are we looking for principles?
Jason L.– The 12 Traditions of C.A. are what we will be using. We are not looking to change the 12 Traditions.
Loni S. – Do you need original stories from our fellowship?
Jason L. – We are looking to take the information that we already have and put it in the voice of C.A. We are looking to use our existing resources and not people individual essays.
William D. – How did the limited edition of the Quiet Peace come into existence?
Ginger L. – The World Service Office put this together.
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Kevin M. – Did the World Service Board of Trustees have any input on the special edition of A Quiet Peace?
Ginger L. – We have been working with the World Service Board of Trustees because they have to approve everything.
Tony D. – Thanked the committee.
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