From the 2020 Spring Issue of Freedom From Bondage Print/PDF Newsletter
I came into OA in 1986 suffering from panic attacks and nightmares. That year my oldest daughter got married and moved three states away.
I consider that Monday Night Meeting my home meeting. It was large enough that we would split into three groups to share after we read “How it Works” from the AABB. This meeting was also my first introduction to 12 Step Programs. We had For Today, Lifeline, and Lifeline Sampler, and a Hard Cover OA Brown Book, otherwise we used Hazelden Literature.
My youngest daughter, still in high school, would ask me if I was going to my meeting, if she noticed I was still home at the regulat time for my meeting.
In 1990 we had to move our meeting place, the church was being sold and torn down to build an Outpatient Surgery Center for a Medical Center.
We have been at our present location since then, so it is thirty years this year.
We had many meetings in Janesville then and two meetings at our current location (Monday Night and Thursday Morning). Over time we have met in 4 different room in this facility.
By the mid 1990’s we had one meeting, barely surviving, with mainly three people attending.
We now have six meetings (of which I attend four). I have done two of the “OA Step Study” and more members just completed a third Study.
I hear very good responses about our new “12 and 12”. I especially like the way it is written.
We currently do the latest format with minor changes done by a group conscience at our meetings.
After missing many of our meetings the winter of 2018-2019, due to storms and other weather issues, we have two people that have stepped up and we have Zoom/phone capabilities at our meetings or if the meeting is cancelled we can still connect and have our meetings remotely.
We celebrated the OA Birthday with Unity Day because of a snowstorm in January. We also get together for Sponsorship Day and IDEA Day. For 12-12 we suggest that people contact other members that have been absent.
We are currently working on starting one or two groups of an AA Big Book Meeting. The first meeting will be Friday, March 27, 2020.
Rock River Inter Group is located in Central Southern Wisconsin and follows the Rock River.
— Shirley L.