At District 7 meetings, you will join with GSRs from other groups. Perhaps you’ve already worked with an intergroup or central office, where groups band together to help alcoholics just in your locality. But your general service district is the second link in an entirely different chain, which extends much farther. District 7 is one part of a General Service area. With your fellow GSRs, you elect a District Committee Member (DCM), and all the DCMs make up the Area 93 committee.

You attend area assemblies four times a year (in most areas). You may also attend the ACM meetings, which meet four times a year, usually the month before the Assembly meeting. Both are hybrid meetings.

Just as you rely on your group for help in your personal recovery, so the A.A. groups of Canada and the U.S. rely on the General Service Conference to maintain the unity and strength of our Fellowship — our obligation to all the alcoholics of today and tomorrow. Your help maintaining two-way communication between your group and the General Service Conference is up to you.

Your DCM, Area Officers and Delegate can see that your group’s conscience on matters of importance to all A.A. becomes a part of the consensus when these matters are discussed at the annual Conference meeting in April. In return, you can enable your group to benefit from the meeting’s sharing of experience among area delegates and the other Conference members. Your DCM may want to present your delegate’s report at a special group meeting.

The DCM will notify you of the Conference Final Report (around August), which is a full account of the proceedings.

• GSRs serve two-year terms
• In many areas, GSR terms coincide with those of the “Panel” covering the area Delegate’s term of service
• In Area 93, the terms may coincide with a Group’s elections
• There is no wrong time to become a GSR

Experience of the Fellowship suggests that the most effective GSRs:

• Have at least two years of continuous sobriety
• Are familiar with their group’s history, priorities, traditions, and procedures
• Can listen to all points of view
• Have the time to regularly attend District 7 meetings and Area 93 assemblies, and the group’s business meetings
• Have a working familiarity with the Twelve Traditions and A.A. recovery and service literature
• Have an email address or other easy way of maintaining contact with group members
• Are familiar with the G.S.O. and area websites, such as aa.org

• An informed group enjoys a special election meeting or just takes a group conscience, where a member with a solid background in service work explains the function of the GSR.
• The procedures for electing a GSR are identical to those for electing any other group officer. There should be time for nominations from the floor and then for a vote. A plurality is usually enough for an election.
• Prompt notification about your choice of GSR is essential. To notify the GSO about the change, use F-28 (new GSR) or F-30 (new Group). Send the form to memberservices@aa.org and the District 7 Registrar at registrar@area93district7.org 
• Communication breaks down if District 7, Area 93, and GSO do not have your new GSR’s name and address.
• The Group Conscience may elect an Alt-GSR. They work together closely, so the Alt-GSR may take over when the GSR can not make a meeting or has to step aside. 
• One vote from the GSR or Alt-GSR is allowed, but not both.

• Attend the District 7 meetings
• Attend the Area 93 meeting
• Reports, written or verbal, given to the Group

Area 93 District 7 General Service Representative (G.S.R.) Monthly Business Meetings. This is an open meeting for all District 7 GSRs and any A.A. member. We meet on the second Monday of each month.

On-line. Zoom ID  835 1211 4894.

The Host will let you in. It starts at 6:30 PM.

In-Person. Quartz Hill Grange Hall 41843
50th Street West Quartz Hill, CA 93536

Join us to learn more about what’s happening in our District and how you can get involved. If you or someone you know is interested in service work, please attend the next scheduled GSR meeting to learn more.

A sure source of information will be the Area 93 Assemblies. Location and start times will be emailed. See calendar.

• ACM Meetings
  • Meetings are on the third Sunday in January, April, September, and October.
• CCAA Meetings
  • Every year, Area 93 holds four assemblies (CCAA) quarterly on the third Sunday in January, May, August, and November. In election years (even years), the assembly is held on Saturday, and the election is on Sunday in November.
• Pre-conference Meetings
  • Pre-Conference Assembly is held on the third Sunday of each March.
• The election meeting
  • The Election Assembly (November, even years) is on the third Sunday, and the Assembly Meeting will be held prior on Saturday.

At the first couple of meetings, it is OK to observe. Nothing is mandatory, but you can partake if you like. General Service Meetings are different from Recovery meetings.

Each group/meeting should have a GSR to represent the group’s conscience regarding the functions of AA as a whole. See this listing of GSRs and laisions in District 7.

GSO supplies a GSR Kit, which includes a list of A.A. resources the GSO believes will help start your GSR journey. Most of these resources are links to online documents and pamphlets.

It’s important to get your group used to hearing your GSR report. Your report should be brief and given weekly or monthly, best given in your business meeting if your group has one.

Break down the information you get from your monthly District meeting and quarterly Area Assemblies into short bullet points. Think about your group and what might interest them, and report those items to them. Have a written report. See the example.

A helpful YouTube Video

“We are the General Service Representatives. We are the link in the chain of communication for our groups with the General Service Conference and the world of A.A. We realize the ultimate authority is a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. As trusted servants, our job is to bring information to our groups in order that they can reach an informed group conscience. In passing along this group conscience, we are helping to maintain the unity and strength so vital to our fellowship. Let us, therefore, have the patience and tolerance to listen while others share, the courage to speak up when we have something to share, and the wisdom to do what is right for our group and A.A. as a whole.”

The emotional and spiritual cycles of being a GSR and other General Service positions comprises five stages: Uninformed Optimism, Informed Pessimism, Valley of Despair, Informed Optimism, and Serenity and Fulfillment.

Uninformed Optimism is marked by excitement and anticipation of being of Service and what it will bring, but without acknowledging the costs.

In this stage, the person is excited about the idea of going to the Area Assembly and their Districts. They imagine the benefits of being there and have so many ideas that they want to express with changes, which they see as wrong with A.A. —but they haven't experienced any downsides yet, such as the time and effort it takes to become informed.

Informed Pessimism sets in as GSRs begin to realize the reality of their effort required for change (character defects arise), leading to negative emotions and doubt.

After a few Area Assemblies, the GSR may start to feel discouraged. They may realize how difficult it is to be heard and direct change, and it seems at times to combative and even chaotic. They may question whether it's really worth the effort to keep going.

The Valley of Despair, The third stage, is the lowest point, where many GSRs give up due to the discomfort and distance of the perceived benefits. If people persevere through this stage, they will reach the fourth stage of Informed Optimism.

At this point, the GSR may hit a low point and consider giving up. Maybe they've taken something personally, or frustration is too great, and the idea of continuing feels daunting. They may feel like they need to see results and wonder if all the effort is even worth it. This is a critical stage because if they quit here, they'll may never be involved in General Service work again.

Informed Optimism, where the possibility of success at service increases and the benefits of personal change become more apparent.

If they can push through the Valley of Despair, they may start to see progress. They may notice that they can not take things personally or realize that their opinions are just one of many, and they may need to be better informed. They listen and learn before speaking. They study the Service Manual to understand the processes and get a Service Sponsor to help them find serenity in General Service work.

Serenity and Fulfillment are reached when the new behaviors become routine (less active Character Defects), the benefits are experienced, and the slow cost of change is perceived as worth it.

The key to overcoming the emotional cycle of character defects is to have a compelling future vision of what God is asking of you, not accepting pride as in self-rule, and persevere through difficult times.

This progress can be motivating and discouraging, but God can help take away those feelings, and He will bring people into your Service work to encourage you, and you will feel more optimistic about Service work and you will encourage others to join you in this adventure.