Giving for Life

Although we are in May, it is always a good time for me to work towards being self-supporting. Though I’ve had some slips along the way, I have a lot of experience applying this Tradition in my personal life. Here are two ways I help support the Fellowship that saved my life.

I set up an ARC, an Automatic Recurring Contribution. Several years ago, during World Service Business Conference, I heard an OA member share passionately about her Seventh Tradition contributions. Afterward, I went to oa.org/contribute and put an ARC in place on behalf of the Sunrise Meeting (my home telephone meeting, which I’ve attended daily for almost ten years). At tax time this year, I realized my ARC was discontinued when my credit card expired, but I am happy to say that this week I reinstated my ARC with the World Service Office.

At the World Service Convention in Boston, I heard another member share about making contributions to his home group meeting even when he was not present. He provided this analogy: even if we go on a trip, we still have to pay our rent or mortgage. I began to make my home-group contributions monthly, and now, I consistently give the same amount no matter how many meetings I actually attend in a month. This morning, although I had limited time, I stopped to get cash so I could make my monthly contribution at my face-to-face home group meeting today.

Tradition Seven and the spiritual Principle behind self-support, “responsibility,” can be practiced in all my affairs, however, I also need to practice First Things First. I give back to OA what has been, and continues to be, so generously given to me. Instead of giving “what I can, when I can” (which gives me a justification to avoid giving), I prefer to give as if my life depends upon it—because it does!

— Atiya M., Raleigh, North Carolina USA