Calling In

I started calling into an OA Steps and Traditions study meeting in April 2015, after I made a service commitment to find meeting moderators for that month. My region’s outreach committee started the meeting, and each intergroup within the region sponsors the meeting for a month at a time.

I had never called into a phone meeting before and was a little nervous. Even so, I was willing to do the service of finding other moderators and moderating the meeting myself if necessary. (Sometimes signing up to do service nudges me out of my comfort zone, so I try new things.) Fortunately, another member went through the format with me and answered my questions, and I knew some of the people who called in.

I now call in to this open meeting on a regular basis, and it has greatly helped my program. I feel much more connected to others throughout my region and throughout the country. It has helped me deepen my relationships with people I know through region-level service. I also branched out by listening to the Twelve Step podcasts on oa.org, which made me realize that I need to work the Steps formally again.

I used to be scared to reach out over the phone, especially to people I didn’t know very well. So far I’ve made one phone call to a person from the phone meeting. I pray to HP to relieve me of fear so I can reach out and give service. Some members in this meeting don’t have a face-to-face meeting in their area, so they rely on virtual meetings. I am fortunate to be able to go to face-to-face meetings, but I need to reach out to others who don’t have that opportunity.

I still feel that I need the face-to-face meetings. I especially enjoy getting hugs from my fellow OA members. But this phone meeting has really helped me get out of my comfort zone and see OA in a larger context. We are a global community, and technology allows us to connect in ways that used to be impossible. What a great resource!

— G.Y., Wichita, Kansas USA