The event will consist of two separate panels with speakers qualifying on the topic of abstinence. One panel to feature abstinent speakers who are newer to OA and one panel will feature speakers who are OA long-timers.

Join us from 2:00pm-5:00pm
Suggested contribution is $10*

Subway:

6 Train to East 68th or East 77th Street Subway Stations
Q train will stop at East 72 Street & Second Avenue (Grand Opening of a new Subway Station January 1 at NOON)

Bus:

M15 Bus to East 74th St (Northbound on First Ave, Southbound on Second Ave) or the M31 Bus to East 74th St on York Ave

*All funds raised go to support the work of Greater New York Metro Intergroup and OA as a whole. Your contribution is greatly appreciated but no one will be turned away.
This facility is wheelchair accessible via a lift for two steps and a ramp.

Jan Hus Presbyterian Church
351 East 74th Street
New York, NY 10021
This event is accessible to people with disabilities.

OA worldwide is broken up into 10 regions, each region working within their own geographic service area to carry the message of OA to compulsive overeaters. NYC is a part of Region 6, which holds Assembly meetings in Albany, NY twice each year. Here is an update from the recent Fall Assembly, held in September 2016.

I had the privilege of being one of the Intergroup’s representatives at the Region 6 Assembly on Saturday, September 24.Unfortunately Metro IG only had six representatives instead of the eleven registered. For various reasons five people were unable to attend.   Nevertheless we still were the largest single delegation at the Assembly.

The Assembly itself was, as always, a great experience. I arrived on Friday afternoon and was able to attend the regular OA meeting that the Assembly always holds on Friday night.

On Saturday morning the newcomers registered at 9:00 am and attended orientation.  The rest of us convened at 10:00 am. Each representative serves on a committee and the morning session was devoted to individual committee meetings. I was asked to mentor a newcomer who had signed up for my committee, the By-Laws committee. We were introduced at the start of the opening session. I explained what was going on at the general meeting and what to expect at the committee.  We both then attended the By-Laws committee meeting.

The Committee had been asked to prepare policies and procedures for a new committee that was being formed to reach out to minority and other underrepresented groups. We had the motion ready. All other By-Laws and Policies and Procedures were up to date.

It became a short committee meeting when we were advised that the people forming the new committee had decided to not do so but to function as a sub-committee of the Outreach Committee, called the Unity with Diversity Committee. We then adjourned to lunch.

At lunch I had the great opportunity to talk with and compare OA experiences with delegates from Maine, New Hampshire and Nova Scotia. After lunch we attended a general business meeting where we elected a new group of officers and trustees. As always, I had a wonderful service experience and strongly urge attendance at Region for all OAers.

By Jeff S.

OA in NYC is shrinking. We wanted to find out why.

NYC Metro Intergroup (IG) is a service body whose purpose is to serve, support and represent all of the NYC Metro OA groups to carry the message of the twelve steps to compulsive overeaters. There has been much discussion about how OA is shrinking worldwide and we have seen this here in NYC as well. Meetings are closing and attendance beyond the group level, at our own intergroup, is shrinking. Our current Intergroup board and members want to revitalize OA in New York City and bring the message to newcomers and boost the recovery of our current members.

To this end, The NYC Metro Intergroup held a Group Inventory on September 29, 2016. Over 40 members attended the Inventory, which is like completing a 4^th Step at a group level, so that we could take an honest look at how IG functions and what is holding us back. The purpose was to identify issues so that later, we can make a plan to address them. The Inventory was facilitated by Don C., an experienced fellow from Westchester IG, who holds Intergroup Renewal Officer Trainings all over Region 6. The group collectively answered questions related to the function of Intergroup, Twelfth Step Within, and Carrying the Message. We identified many areas in need of improvement and we want YOU to join our movement to create more opportunities for members to help themselves!

Through the inventory process it became clear that most OA’s don’t really know what IG is or how it can complement recovery. What we want people to know is that Intergroup’s primary purpose is as Tradition 5 states: to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer. We hold events and retreats. We publish newsletters and a website designed to spread the messages of recovery. We support newcomers and struggling members alike. According to Don C., an Intergroup’s greatest service is to “show people HOW to strengthen their personal recovery. Show people HOW to work the program.”

We invite you to join us achieve this mission. Please consider serving as an Intergroup Representative at one of your regular meetings, attending our monthly Intergroup meetings, or serving on one of our committees. There is no abstinence requirement. And remember, we are ALL Intergroup!

Intergroup meets the second Thursday of each month at TRS Suites, 40 Exchange Place, New York, NY. There’s a newcomer orientation at 6:15 pm and the meeting is from 6:45-8:30 pm.

Please click on the following link to see Don C.’s report on the Inventory, which goes into detail about the Inventory process and the participant’s responses: Intergroup Inventory NY Metro Results

“When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away.” – AA Big Book