“Impaired No More: A Real Solution”
The Historical Resources that
Demonstrate Prospects for Widespread Success
By Dick B., Executive Director
International
Christian Recovery Coalition
© 2011 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
A Project to Plant
and House a Free, Accessible, Original A.A. History Resource Collection
The Need and Backdrop
International Christian Recovery Coalition has undertaken a
number of projects since its establishment in May of 2009. They are summarized
in www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com.
Our consistent, overall, worldwide mission has been to
discover, present, and widely disseminate the role that God, His Son Jesus
Christ, and the Bible played in the origin, history, founding, Original A.A.
Christian Fellowship program in Akron
be healed by the power and love of God if he or she
fervently wants, seeks, and receives them.
Through benefactor help, Dick B. has already acquired and donated
many thousands of historical books, articles, pamphlets, letters, tapes,
manuscripts, papers, and documents. These are now in place at the Griffith
Library (Wilson House) in East Dorset Vermont, the Dr. Bob Core Library at
North Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury, the Shoemaker Room in Calvary
Church at Pittsburgh, the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Library in Akron, the large
collection of long-time-now-retired archivist at Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron, and
the Stan Hywet Museum Seiberling Gate Lodge in Cuyahoga Falls.
But there is still an enormously important historical gap to
be filled.
The utter void in knowledge of the real early Christian roots
of today’s recovery movement is still there. And yet there now is this new and
different collection assembled and/or planned by A.A. historian and author Dick
B. and his son Rev. Dick B.. This occurred over the past three years.
This new collection and resource has become critically
needed and valuable to the huge, growing, worldwide Christian Recovery Movement
blowing in the wind today.
Summary of the Proposed Project
First, Dick and Ken B. have found and assembled a large, new,
unique, accurate, comprehensive collection of resources. The resources are
vitally needed if the gap is to be filled. Vital too provided the resources are
not simply locked away in glass cases rather than enabling the content to be free,
totally available for view, and accessible now. Available to all those desiring
pass along or receive help in overcoming alcoholism and addiction by the power
of God and using many of the successful Christian techniques the original Akron
AAs applied from at least 1935 to 1938.
Second, the new resources document the huge Christian epochs
that preceded A.A. by dozens of years. The resources tell of: (a) The Great
Awakening of 1875 in St. Johnsbury ,
Vermont Maine
Third, they unearth and highlight the Christian upbringing
of A.A. co-founders William Griffith Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith as
youngsters in the State of Vermont Burton
Academy in Manchester
near Bill’s East Dorset home. Also the
emphasis in both places on Bible study, required prayers, daily chapel,
sermons, church attendance, and the YMCA.
Fourth, the materials tell exactly how the first three AAs
got sober and were cured. Each believed in God, were or had become Christians, had
studied the Bible, and had attended Christian churches and Sunday schools,
revivals and temperance functions, conversion meetings, and YMCA functions by
the time of their deliverance. Each was healed before the original Akron
Christian Fellowship was developed between July of 1935 and November of 1938.
Each did so by turning to God for help at a time when there were no Big Books,
Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, drunkalogs, or meetings as we see them today.
Fifth, they specifically set forth all the basic principles
of the Original Akron A.A. program. These were summarized in A.A.’s own General
Service Conference-approved literature. The practices can be found almost and are
substantially described in the printer’s manuscript of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. The pioneer successes are attested
by a number of studies, original documents, rosters, news stories and columns,
as well as the activities of the A.A. pioneers.
Sixth, they present many of the recently discovered or
published materials that describe Christian elements of pioneer history that
derived from Dr. Carl G. Jung, Professor William James, Dr. William D.
Silkworth, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, William Borcherts’s Writings, Anne Smith’s
Journal, Lois Wilson’s memoirs and diaries, and Bill Wilson’s own autobiography
and Bill’s little known but numerous manuscripts found by Dick B. at Stepping
Stones.
Seventh, these new historical materials were primarily
collected by Dick B. and Ken B. and now belong in a free, accessible,
climate-favorable, steward-friendly, long-term office, library, room, or
facility very probably in Hawaii , Southern
California, or Texas
Finally, the materials can and will be used in such a way that
they may easily be seen, conveniently viewed, and freely accessed. They can and
will become the basis for lectures, seminars, films, radio and TV
presentations, and instructions suitable for treatment, Christian counseling
and recovery, 12 Step Fellowships, Christian fellowships, sober Christian
residences, and class activities.
The Projected Simple Costs
- For acquiring (at almost cost), assembling, arranging, and packing existing
items $15,000.
- For purchasing, adding, and preparing additional resources still available $ 5,000.
- For travel, meals, lodging, phones, and incidental expenses involved
in setting up the center and filling
the center $ 7,500.
- For writing, indexing, and cataloguing the collection $ 2,500.
- For housing and maintaining the collection – at an existing church,
Salvation Army property, or open
Christian library – hopefully donated free 0.
_______
Total to complete $30,000.
Funding
Charitable, tax-deductible contributions to the tax exempt St. Paul ’s Episcopal Church in Akron
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