Making Coffee

I once heard it said that service work (in AA) is anything that makes a twelfth step call possible. So, you might be the person who answered the phone when the new guy called, you might be the person who said hello and shook the newcomer's hand, you might be the guy making coffee at the meeting or the person chairing the meeting. You don't have to be a group officer, you don't have to serve on a committee, or be the treasurer or a secretary, but these are all service positions you can do simply by volunteering to do them.

In my early days, I did the things that didn't require much skill: setting up the chairs or making the coffee or standing at the door, greeting. As time passed and I became more confident, I agreed to do one of the readings. From there, I chose to sit at the chairperson's side, serving as his or her secretary, and eventually as the chairperson which really is just more reading.

In the past 25 years, I've served on various committees, as a representative of my group and even as the leader of the district committee. None of the jobs I have done are any more important than the other. Like an inukshuk, each stone in the structure supports the others.

Currently, I am the general service representative for my group, I chair meetings at my group when asked to, and I will also be a speaker for birthday meetings at my group, when asked to. I find that I don't always have to say yes when I'm asked to do something, but if I have the time to do it, I should agree to do it. 

The way I have always seen it is that if everyone thinks someone else is making the coffee, the coffee won't get made. And then, when a newcomer shows up, who will be there to greet him or show him where to be seated, or where the coffee pot is, etc. It is true that I should never over-extend myself in service work by taking on too many jobs, or by doing one job for too long a period of time.