The Top Notch 12-Step/A.A. Leaders Who
Spoke at Maine Conference
Of
The First International Alcoholics
Anonymous History Conference Sept. 2013
Dick B.
© 2013. Anonymous. All rights reserved
Participants in the
September 6-7 First International Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference on
Friday and Saturday in Portland, Maine were blessed to hear extensive
presentations by top notch, hands-on 12 Step recovery leaders – well versed in
A.A. history – at our recent International A.A. History Conference. Moreover,
all were given further summary time after their presentations and at a later
point to speak further on their topics.
These speakers
traveled from afar to share their knowledge, experience, and practices
emanating from A.A.’s origins and historical roots in New England and
particularly in Vermont from the 1850’s to present-day 12 Step recovery
practices. They came from Toronto and Collingwood Canada, from Texas, from
Colorado, from the State of Washington, from Connecticut, from the States of
Maine and Hawaii, and from Missouri. They gathered in the historical location
of Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor in Portland where a large
portion of the program ideas of early Akron A.A.’s recovery program poured into
the old school Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship Group Number One founded by Bill
Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, and attorney Bill Dotson on July 4, 1935.
As the months roll
by, you will see a number of materials presented by the speakers. And here, I
will simply summarize the heart of their talks.
The history
conference was grounded on the 29 volumes of A.A. history reference titles
published by Dick B. and Ken B. and on display at the meetings..
Father Bill W. is a long-recovered Episcopal
priest who traveled from Austin, Texas to speak at length on his intense
interest in Quiet Time and the Eleventh Step. Father Bill W. has been doing alcoholism and addiction recovery
treatment work for many many years. He was president and chief executive
officer of Austin Recovery—the largest treatment center in Texas. He retired
briefly to become a chaplain there. But Bill is an author, an A.A. historian, a
researcher, and a Christian recovery leader. He is one who has written on many
aspects of the Big Book, the Steps, and
religion. He has traveled from Austin to many of our conferences, including
those in Irvine, California; Westminster, California; Brentwood, California;
and Portland, Maine Father Bill is now Chair of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Recovery Committee; and he and his colleagues have established and are
conducting study groups that practice “listening to God” and other aspects of
A.A. Eleventh Step and Quiet Time traditions. Father Bill is a benefactor
member of the Agape Circle, which helps support our work. He frequently
communicates with Dick B. and Ken B. on Christian recovery, 12-Step work, and
various treatment modes. Bill is a participant in International Christian
Recovery Coalition.
Jim H. recovered A.A. and archivist from the
State of Washington. Jim has
been part of our historical research team which traveled throughout all of
Vermont, Akron, Cleveland, as well as Massachusetts and Portland gathering
photos exceeding about 1000 in number which will enable viewers to see for
themselves the many treasures available to AA history lovers, researchers, and
leaders who travel to those historical places and repositories or who wish more
visual information about them. At his own expense, Jim has been a tireless
history researcher, sponsor, A.A. service worker, and is presently a
participant in A.A.’s national archivist conference each year. He has also
drive Ken and myself to many areas were we have researched, photographed
materials there, interviewed people we met, and established a website with A.A.
historical photos. Jim has long been interested in A.A. history, A.A. archives,
and the Christian roots of A.A. itself. He is a participant in International
Christian Recovery Coalition.
Gary A.. long-recovered A.A. and retired
counselor at prisons and with veterans for many years, is from the State of
Connecticut. Gary has been
in touch with us for many years and has devoted an immense amount of time
learning, filming, and circulating video materials on where A.A. came from and
got its ideas. And now he has put together an excellent videos series on A.A.
historical materials, locations, and people who had so much to do with A.A.’s
spiritual beginnings. His videos tell the early A.A. history briefly,
graphically, accurately and well. And they have become the seed for a video
series that Ken and I will be putting together on the entire early A.A. history
picture in a way that has never been done to serve the recovered population and
those who still suffer. Gary is a participant in International Christian
Recovery Coalition..
Robb Hicks, M.D. is a neuro-scientist who has
researched and now practices techniques for the prevention of relapse among
alcoholics and addicts of all types based on medical knowledge recently expanded. He maintains his office in St. Louis,
Missouri. His practice offers help to impaired physicians. He maintains a
website and belongs to relevant professional organizations. He had just spent
over a week with Ken and myself on Maui learning in depth many aspects of the
spiritual and other history of Alcoholics Anonymous. He traveled from Maui to
Maine to make his medical knowledge available at the A.A. History Conference;
and he joined us on our short, but intense visit to Dr. Bob’s home village of
St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Dr. Hicks there met with the village leader of the new
history museum. He audited the community TV interview of Ken and myself in St.
Johnsbury. He attended a luncheon conference of Vermont Christian leaders
intent on bringing the Christian roots and history of early A.A. to the fore.
He joined us in meeting with a prosecutor at the St. Johnsbury court system who
has suggestions on how to produce more effective recovery among alcoholics and
addicts soon to be arraigned and sentenced. And he joined us in meeting with
Covered Bridge—a residential A.A. treatment facility in St. Johnsbury which is
planning on working with the prosecutor and courts and also holding historical
meetings and spiritual meetings in its facility. Robb also visited North
Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury and viewed the Dr. Bob Core Library and
other historical records available for view in that church.
Dr. Hicks took the
occasion to conduct extensive
discussions with conference participant John Mooney, M.D., a professor of
psychiatry at Harvard—a Christian physician who attended the earliest of the
Dick B. heritage seminar weekends at the Wilson House in East Dorset, Vermont;
has long worked to see Dick’s books lodged in the Harvard library system; who
has frequently sent Dick scholarly materials written by his Harvard colleagues,
and who is a benefactor of the work of Dick B. and Ken B.—belonging to the
recently formed Agape Circle which supports their research, writing, and
speaking work. The two distinguished physicians and recovery leaders were able
to converse extensively on the relevance of their respective fields to recovery
and the mental health field, and to review Dr. Mooney’s intense interest in
Quiet Time and meditation based on Orthodox traditions and practices.
Mark G. is a long-time A.A. member who is a
businessman and an ardent A.A. recovery worker. He lives in Collingwood, Ontario.
He has been a speaker at
several of our conferences and interviews. He has prepared extensive workbooks
and guides which he uses, with his Canadian colleagues, to take AAs in large
numbers through a demanding and vigorous recovery program patterned on the work
of Dr. Bob and the Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship founded in Akron in 1935.
Mark frequently takes sponsees to Akron, calls his team the “Akronites” because
so much of their work with newcomers and those still suffering is based on
Akron A.A. history and practices. He is also a Christian recovery leader and
member of our International Christian Recovery Coalition, and has led many
suffering alcoholics and addicts to a relationship with God through Jesus
Christ during his many years of work with newcomers. He has been interviewed
more than once by Ken and myself on the Dick B. radio show on
ChristianRecoveryRadio.com.
Mark is a
no-nonsense worker in the recovery trenches using the program of A.A. and the
early A.A. Christian recovery program as the medium for success.
Tim K. is a recovered alcoholic; employed in
and residing in Colorado; has just been married; took his enthusiastic bride to
our Portland Maine Conference; spoke there; and went with us to St. Johnsbury,
Vermont to learn and enhance his knowledge of Christian A.A. recovery techniques.
Tim is a shepherd of the Came to Believe retreats in Colorado that are held
for AAs and their families—taking them through the Steps in an afternoon, and
helping them to come to believe. He spoke at length at our Conference on these
retreats, on their guidebook, on their locations in the United States and other
countries. His great grand-sponsor was A.A. Co-founder Dr. Robert Holbrook
Smith. He has a special interest in acquiring, studying, stewarding, and
reporting on the copy of the DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers printers manuscript—which
contains many of the markings and notations like those found in the Original
A.A. Big Book Printer’s Manuscript copy just published by Hazelden. Tim has
been interviewed on our Christian Recovery Radio program, and he is actively
working to report on and help grow the “Clarence Snyder Retreats” that have
existed in so many places for so many years now. He is a participant in
International Christian Recovery Coalition.
Chris P. is a businessman, a long-recovered
CA member, a Christian recovery leader, and a highly successful sponsor of
addicts willing to use the Big Book, 12 Steps, the power of God, and the Bible
to overcome their malady. Though
associated with the same Traditions that A.A. has, Chris P.’s large group in
Toronto was told by Cocaine Anonymous that it could not exist as a CA group
because it was Christian in its character and historical presentations. Chris
and his group worked tirelessly to assemble all kinds of evidence as to the
number of agnostic organizations, atheist organizations, and spinoff groups in
A.A. that were not besmirched with the attempt to label them unacceptable.
Finally, after months of preparation, Chris and his group went before the
powers that be and effected a 100% reversal that allowed them to meet and
proceed. This courageous, rightful, persistent effort was carried on in part to
alleviate similar restrictions occurring in other 12 Step groups and
fellowships. And it stands as a mountain top achievement that simply says it is
as appropriate for Christian 12 Step groups to study their Christian, biblical,
religious history, roots, founding, and application today as it is for the
atheist, Buddhist, humanist, gay and lesbian, airline pilots, and Matt Talbot
groups to claim immunity from suppression and intimidation on the theory that
Christians in recovery are somehow barred from using their own history and
techniques in their groups today despite mountains of evidence that their
beliefs and practices are totally consistent with the very programs,
principles, practices, techniques, beliefs, and literature their founders used
when today ‘s anonymous groups began. Chris presented literature as to
precisely what his group does.
He is a participant
in International Christian Recovery Coalition. Chris is an Agape Circle
benefactor of our work.
Wally P. is a long-recovered Christian
businessman and active A.A. and Christian church member who established this conference, arranged for its
meetings, welcomed the participants, and enabled the extensive use of his
church’s premises for two day s of historical talks and exhibits and
discussions. Wally is a benefactor and a member of the Agape group. He attended
the formative meeting of International Christian Recovery Meeting in Irvine,
California in May of 2009. He joined the research team that toured all of
Vermont to gather accurate history on A.A.’s roots, the upbringing of
cofounders Bill and Bob, and their religious training and Bible studies. AAs
all over the world can be grateful for Wally’s dedicated interest in learning,
reporting, researching, and enabling application of A.A.’s historical features
in recovery today.
Of
course, Dick B. and Ken B. gave extensive factual information about the
history, origins, founding, programs, changes, and applicability of old school
A.A. today. And this has
been and will be reported further elsewhere.
Furthermore, almost
every one of the speakers at the Maine Conference has been interviewed one or
more times on the Christian Recovery Radio show conducted by Dick B. and Ken
B.; or, if they have not yet spoken, they will soon be interviewed to enable
them to speak further and for themselves on the purpose and accomplishments of
the Portland Maine International A.A. History Conference and the role they play
in A.A. history today.
Gloria
Deo
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