|
WELCOME 2019!
JANUARY
Tuesday, January 8th: Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature; 6:30 p.m. Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
January 18th - 20th: Winter Retreat, The Guest House, Chester, CT, sponsored by Greater New York Metro Intergroup
Link to Website
Saturday, January 20th: Celebrate OA's 59th Birthday! How is your group marking this special day?
FEBRUARY
Tuesday, Feb. 5: Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature Sales & Fellowship
6:30 p.m.: Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
Friday-Sunday, February 8-10: NHI Annual Retreat, Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center,
Gr
eenfield, NH. Sponsored by New Hampshire Intergroup.
www.oanewhampshire.org
Sunday, Feb. 24: OA Unity Day, hosted by Ocean and Bay Intergroup, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Ray Conference Center, Butler Campus, 345 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI.
Download Flyer
MARCH
Tuesday, March 5: Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature Sales & Fellowship
6:30 p.m.: Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
APRIL
Tuesday, April 2: Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature Sales & Fellowship
6:30 p.m.: Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
MAY
Tuesday, May 7: Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature Sales & Fellowship
6:30 p.m.: Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
JUNE
Tuesday, June 4: Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature Sales & Fellowship
6:30 p.m.: Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
June 21-23: Tranquility - Living the Principles Retreat, Incarnation Conference, Center, Ivoryton, CT Sponsored by Southeastern CT Integroup
Flyer
Tuesday, July 2 Ocean & Bay Intergroup Meeting
6 p.m.: Literature Sales & Fellowship
6:30 p.m.: Meeting
Arnold Conference Center, Regan Building, 3 Regan Court off 111 Howard Ave., Cranston, RI
|
|
_________________________________
PHONE SUPPORT AVAILABLE ON
MAJOR HOLIDAYS
 |
MARATHON PHONE MEETINGS ARE HELD ON
ALL MAJOR HOLIDAYS
EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR BEGINNING AT 8 A.M. AROUND REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETINGS. EACH MARATHON HAS A TOPIC FOR THE DAY.
|
|
Seventh Tradition
The Seventh Tradition states OA is fully self-supporting, accepting contributions only from OA members. Groups may send either monthly or periodic donations (via mail or in person) to Intergroup. Thank you for your donation, which helps us to spread the word of recovery. Intergroup treasurer reports are always available -- just ask.
On average, six groups donate each month. Does your group donate on a regular basis?
To send donations (payable to Ocean & Bay Intergroup) via mail:
Ocean and Bay Intergroup
Attn: Treasurer
P.O. Box 41273
Providence, RI 02940
|
LIFELINE MATERIAL WELCOME
Not all writing for Lifeline needs to be a specific topic for a specific month. Below is a list of ongoing material OA's magazine, Lifeline, accepts for publication. For examples, refer to any issue of Lifeline.
DEPARTMENTS (No Deadline)
- Bits and Bites: Add to our collection of short inspirational quotes and recovery wisdom.
- What Works for Me: How do you work your program, and what difference has it made?
- Step Study, Living Traditions, Service and Recovery, and The Spiritual Path: Share about the month's Step or Tradition or send a story about service or connecting with your HP
- Newcomers Corner: Newcomers, share your OA experiences and concerns.
- Share It (Letters to the Editor): Was a Lifeline issue or story special for you? Tell us!
OTHER MATERIALS (No Deadline)
Lifeline accepts artwork and photos (no faces, please) for publication. Credit lines and rights to submitted work apply equally to articles, artwork, and photos. The WSO does not return submitted materials. Lifeline may edit articles and crop photos.
Send to: Lifeline, World Service Office, PO Box 44727,
Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727 or
email to
[email protected]
with subject "Lifeline."
|
Intergroup Board
CONTACT US
Treasurer:
Sandy C.
Recording Secretary:Lisa
Other Service Positions:
Public Information/ Professional Outreach: Holly
|
|
|
_______________________
Mission & Vision
Ocean & Bay Intergroup is dedicated to supporting individuals in need of recovery from compulsive eating (e.g.: overeating, bulimia, anorexia) through carrying the OA message and empowering all meetings within the Intergroup.
1. Help members strengthen their personal recovery
2. Increase the number of sponsors
3. Increase the number of newcomers
4. Increase the retention of newcomers
5. Help those in relapse
6. Inspire people to give more service
7. Increase outreach activities, including outreach to members and healthcare professionals
|
|
|
__________________________
Local Meeting List
|
IMPORTANT!
GROUP CONTACT INFORMATION: Please check your group contact name and phone number on the local Ocean and Bay Meeting List. Send changes to
Also, check your meeting listing and contact info on the Overeaters Anonymous website meeting list at
oa.org. The oa.org website listing is different than the local meeting list and must be updated by your meeting contact person.
* Please call ahead to verify meetings are taking place, especially during holidays.
FIND A MEETING ACROSS THE U.S. AND BEYOND -- FACE-TO-FACE, ONLINE, AND TELEPHONE!
|
|
|
____________________________
Ocean & Bay Website!
oceanandbay.org
includes events, meeting list, info for newcomers, and more!
|
|
|
_____________________________
LINKS
New England Intergroups
Ocean and Bay Intergoup
|
|
__________________________________________
WSO NEWS BULLETIN
DECEMBER 2018
|
|
__________________________________________
Please note that every effort has been made to adhere to OA's policy for newsletter publications.
Opinions and experiences expressed within are those of the individual writer and not OA as a whole.
REMINDER: This is your newsletter, so please feel free to submit your writing contributions to: [email protected].
You are also invited to be one of the members who provides answers for a Q&A. Again, just send us a note to: [email protected].
|
|
| |
|
HAVING A VISION
Dear Fellow OA Member:
Here we go again - another new year! It's that time when there is lots of talk of having eaten too much and tight pants followed by more talk of resolutions, diets, getting back on the wagon, gym memberships, and more. As a member of Overeaters Anonymous what does this new year mean to you?
This year what comes
into my mind is the chapter in the Big Book of
Alcoholics Anonymous titled "A Vision for You." I happen to think it gives us permission to have a vision for ourselves, to look to the future, even while living one day at a time. This is a good time consider what that vision is and put voice, words, or art to it.
Have you ever heard of a "vision board"? It's basically a collage of images and words a person puts together on a poster board representing what they dream or wish for themselves. For instance, if fitness is a goal, photos of people doing fitness activities would be included. Or, if you would like a serene meditation space in your home, you include pictures of what would make up that space. How about the dream of becoming a snow bird and spending the winter months in the sun - include that! Representing a vision through images is empowering.
You can put words to your vision, too. Whether you write in a journal or share with a trusted friend/sponsor, it seems to have more meaning once outside the head. On New Year's Eve I was at a program friend's house who had a chalkboard wall. She asked guests to write their name and a word they wanted to keep close to them for the new year, 2019, whether it be an intention, a goal, an attitude, etc. In the moment I asked God to direct me (quickly, God!). I came up with "fitness" and "action." I really wanted words that would cover all the areas I wanted growth in under God's direction. Fitness covers physical, spiritual, financial, mental, etc. And then, action, back to having to do the footwork, not to mention some things I have been putting off for some time. What I want most with my action is to know it is in concert with God's vision for me. That, after all, is the best vision of all.
My hand in yours,
Leslie
|
|
Ocean & Bay Intergroup News
All OA members are welcome to attend Ocean & Bay Intergroup (OBI) meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month.
THE NEXT MEETING IS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 8th at 6:30 p.m. at:
Arnold Conference Center in the Regan Building
3 Regan Court (off 111 Howard Avenue)
Cranston, RI 02920
CURRENT GOINGS ON AT INTERGROUP
Diane will be kicking off her two-year term as chair in January and Sandy was re-elected to serve two years as treasurer. John C. and Lisa will continue to serve the positions of vice chair and secretary respectively. Leslie will serve one more year as newlsetter editor.
PUBLIC INFORMATION/PROFESSIONAL OUTREACH COMMITTEE: The PI/PO Committee has produced a poster with local OA information for our members to distribute in the respective communities. Ask your Intergroup Rep for a few and hang them in your local markets, library, YMCA, etc.
UNITY DAY 2019
Ocean and Bay Integroup is hosting the annual Unity Day event on Sunday, February 24th, 1-4 p.m. at Ray Conference Center on the Butler Campus, Blackstone Blvd., Providence. Lisa is the even chair and anyone else who would like to work on the committee is asked to attend the next Intergroup meeting. The committee will meet following the meeting.
LITERATURE NEWS
Due to popular demand, we have ordered a reprint of the JOURNAL Ocean and Bay published. They are just $15.
The new second edition of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions and its accompanying Workbook are both available for sale at Integroup.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT INTERGROUP? Come to a meeting! Everyone is welcome. Your level of involvement is up to you -- NO PRESSURE.
ALL OA MEMBERS are WELCOME to any and all Intergroup meetings!
*******************************************************************
|
UNITY DAY
OCEAN & BAY INTERGROUP IS HOSTING
OA's UNITY DAY!
THIS IS A BIG DEAL! We are expecting OA members
from neighboring states to attend!
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24th, 2019
Ray Conference Center, Butler Campus,
345 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI
Speakers - Sharing - Fellowship
This day recognizes the strength of the Fellowship worldwide. On the last Saturday in February in even years and the last Sunday in February in odd years, OA members pause to reaffirm the strength inherent in OA's unity.
|
|
Local
meetings
using
new
12 & 12
Second Edition!
|
WEDNESDAYS @ 7 p.m., Middletown Police Station, Valley Road, Middletown, RI
SATURDAYS @ 9:30 a.m.
, Newport County YMCA, 792 Valley Road, Middletown, RI
(
1st Saturday - Step, and 3rd Saturday -Tradition)
SATURDAYS @ 10 a.m., Stop & Shop, Conference Room, 333 Mariano Blvd, Fall River, MA
(1st Saturday, Step)
Bring your own special copy of the 12&12 (second edition) or share one of the group's copies.
|
|
Meeting News
|
NEEDS SUPPORT
The 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesdays at the Middletown Police Station, Valley Road, Middletown, welcomes members to bring their experience, strength and support to the meeting, which is now using the NEW Second Edition of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Hope to see you there!
UPDATED MEETING FORMAT
The Saturday meeting at 10 a.m. at Stop & Shop, Mariano Blvd., Fall River, MA, has updated its meeting format, which changes each week. 1st Week: (1st Saturday, Step; 2nd Saturday, Tools; 3rd Saturday, Podcasts; 4th Saturday, Writing within)
|
|
|
 |
MENTIONING SPECIFIC FOODS -- YES OR NO?
A member of our group has asked that we have a group-conscience meeting. She requests that we not mention the names of specific foods or places during meetings. What is the WSO position on this? Are there any written materials on this issue?
Thank you for writing to ask about mentioning specific foods in OA meetings.
OA does not have formal guidelines on this issue. This question prompts many contrasting views within the Fellowship and is best settled by each group's conscience.
Tradition Four states, "Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole." Many OA meetings do allow the mention of specific foods, while many others do not.
Tradition One states, "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity."
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous
states, "In OA meetings, individuals are lovingly guided to keep the needs of the whole group in mind as we share our experience, strength, and hope" (p. 110). OA does not dictate what a group's needs should be.
A Commitment to Abstinence
states, "Avoid cultivating or dwelling on thoughts about any real or imagined pleasure once derived from certain foods, and avoid talking about them" (p. 2). Mentioning a food in passing is different from talking about the "derived pleasure." If a share mentions abstaining from a certain food as being central to recovery, it is one thing. If the share focuses on the food and not the solution, it is something else.
Tradition Twelve reminds us to "place principles before personalities."
The OA Handbook for Members, Groups and Service Bodies states, "Four principles seem to lead away from trouble and toward growth: (1) unity within the group; (2) harmony among the members of the group, other OA groups, and the rest of the community; (3) a hearing for all points of view; and (4) understanding that speakers' talks and pitches are not open to comment or debate. In other words, wholehearted practice of the Twelve Traditions" (p. 21).
Again, we come back to the good of the group as a whole. It is up to your group to decide whether the good of the group as a whole is to ask that specific
foods not be mentioned or to decide the opposite. -
January 2013
|
Use this guide* with suggestions of what to say and what not to say when speaking to someone about OA for the first time.
|
 |
DOs
* I am open to talking about my recovery.
* I mention how much my weight has changed, and I may show my pre-OA photo.
* I am positive and happy when talking about OA.
* I am always willing to give out the New Prospect Card and my phone number.
* I emphasize the peace of mind I have found in life around food.
* I suggest that people come to a meeting and just listen. Nothing is required of them.
* I mention OA to my doctor and other health care professionals.
* I carry the message as part of my action plan.
* I am concise when talking about the OA program, leaving room for curiosity.
* I explain the concept of "just for today."
* I mention that OA is a nonprofit organization and there are no membership dues or fees.
* I share how OA has helped in all facets of my life. * I explain some of the program's Tools.
* I give examples of my unhealthy eating behaviors from before OA (such as eternal dieting, starving, bingeing, constantly weighing myself).
* I say that our program is modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous and that my problem is similar to alcoholism. OA is for people who use food just like alcoholics use alcohol.
* I offer to meet them at their first meeting if at all possible.
*Partial excerpt from "Carrying the Message"
|
LIFELINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
Effective January 1, 2019,
one-year print subscription prices
will increase to $30 for subscribers in the USA, US$36 for subscribers in Canada, and US$45 for all other subscribers (US funds only). Similarly, a one-year subscription to
oalifeline.org
will increase to US$30 for all subscribers.
Lifeline
will also discontinue two-year print subscriptions, so only one-year subscriptions will be available to both print and online subscribers.
|
 |
|
If you want something you never had before, you will need to do something you never did before.
God calls the plays and I run them.
|
|
| |
|
