Have an OA group, intergroup, service board, or region sponsor the newsletter.
Keep it positive. Don’t allow editorial opinions on controversial issues or policies to dominate the newsletter.
Before printing, review the issue for observance of Traditions (for example, non–OA event advertising or other endorsements).
Traditions Six and Ten guide us to select only material from within the OA Fellowship. This may include OA publications and/or OA program-related submissions from members. Include a disclaimer that personal stories express the experience, strength, and hope of the individual member and not of OA as a whole.
Intergroup/service board newsletters can include a brief summary of minutes and financial statements, information about upcoming OA events, reports from loners or groups in outlying areas, and articles about personal recovery.
Do not print copyrighted material or the OA logo without permission. Check the Copy Requests page at oa.org or contact the World Service Office for information regarding OA’s copyright procedures and guidelines. The Copy Requests page also lists OA materials that registered OA groups and services bodies may reprint without written permission. For permission to use the OA logo, submit the Permission to Use the OA Logo form (PDF or DOCX), available on the Copy Requests page and in the Document Library, to the WSO.
Registered groups and service bodies may reprint individual articles from Lifeline, A Step Ahead, and the WSO News Bulletin for limited personal and group use, crediting the appropriate publication and Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Material from these sources may not be revised. An example of “credit” would be to place “[source, date] Copyright Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.” at the end of the article used.
OA newsletters often contain a statement that other OA groups and service bodies are welcome to reprint articles from them without permission. When reprinting from other OA newsletters, be sure to credit the source.
Review both the Newsletter page under Guidelines: Events & Outreach and the News & Events page at oa.org to find information about new OA policies and available resources.
Original sketches, cartoons, pictures, etc. add visual interest.
Determine through the group conscience whether to charge for the newsletter to, for example, offset costs or raise funds.
Investigate the most cost-effective way to distribute your newsletter. Many newsletters are published primarily online, for example, on the group’s or service body’s website.
Congratulations! Your newsletter will enhance the growth of Overeaters Anonymous in your area.
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
Purpose of OA events
Types of events
Guarding our Traditions
Committees
Finances
Sale of merchandise
Program and choosing speakers
Additional suggestions
These guidelines have been developed through the experience of OA members and the Board of Trustees, who have contributed to their creation. They reflect OA Traditions and Concepts of Service as reflected in our OA Conference-approved literature. These guidelines are strong suggestions based on the experience of those who have gone before. The guidelines do not replace the group conscience of local OA members, but we encourage OA groups and service bodies to consider carefully before acting contrary to these suggestions.
Purpose of OA Events
The reason for OA gatherings held outside of group meetings is to provide more recovery opportunities for members. Such get-togethers remind us that we are part of a larger whole, that we are not alone. The focus of such OA events is recovery from compulsive overeating through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA. Many groups and service bodies hold events in conjunction with International Day Experiencing Abstinence (IDEA), Unity Day, Sponsorship Day, or OA’s birthday. Some host only one annual event, while others hold monthly or quarterly events.
Retreats, marathons, and conventions offer the laughter, warmth, understanding, and support of the OA Fellowship. They introduce members to a wider circle of individuals and to the experience, strength, and hope of others who share our disease.
These events can also benefit OA by raising much-needed revenue for OA as a whole. The income helps groups and service bodies to carry the message of recovery to the still-suffering compulsive eater.
Types of Events
All OA events address recovery from compulsive overeating through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous. Any OA event should not be connected with any outside issues, including religions, politics, therapies, non-OA literature, or other Twelve Step fellowships. The following events are the types most commonly held by OA groups and service bodies, such as intergroups and serviced boards.
Conventions
Most conventions are weekend events that are hosted by a service body rather than a group. They are held in hotels or conference centers that can accommodate the event’s space requirements. The activities are focused on OA recovery and fellowship, meetings, workshops, speaker sessions, and entertainment, such as dances or breaks for relaxation and fun.
Retreats
Retreats are usually held in a quiet location, such as a camp or retreat center. Retreat activities may include speaker sessions, small group discussions, one-on-one sharing, time for writing and reflection, as well as free time for members to experience fellowship.
Marathons
Marathons are usually one-day events. They consist of back-to-back speaker meetings or workshops with various, scheduled topics, allowing attendees to choose according to their needs. OA’s virtual community provides marathon phone meetings on many holidays.
Fellowship Meals/Banquets
Lunch or dinner meals with an OA speaker provide another way to combine recovery and fellowship. This type of gathering can be held at a local hotel or restaurant where the meals are purchased, or it can be as simple as a gathering where OA members provide the food.
Public Information Meetings
Special public information events are held to raise awareness of Overeaters Anonymous for the public, the professional community, and OA members’ families and friends.
Service, Traditions, and Concepts Workshops
These workshops are usually conducted by members with a thorough understanding of the Twelve Traditions and the Concepts of OA Service. A region trustee and/or regional board members can offer these workshops to intergroups and service boards as part of their service to OA.
Guarding Our Traditions
Use the following guides to observe the Traditions when planning an OA event. Remember to honor “principles before personalities” (Tradition Six).
An OA event must be sponsored by a registered OA group or service body. An event that is not sponsored by an OA group or service body is considered an outside enterprise, and, as such, may not use the OA name or mailing list (Tradition Six).
The name “Overeaters Anonymous” and the name of the sponsoring group or service body should appear on all flyers, newsletter articles, registration forms, and other announcements and forms for the event (Tradition Five).
Only OA members may be invited to act as event and workshop leaders or speakers (Tradition Six).
Printed materials should not contain endorsements of outside enterprises, such as books, publishers, treatment facilities, professionals in the field of eating disorders, hospitals, and other non-OA entities. This includes any materials or information regarding non-OA enterprises or activities with which the leader or speaker is personally involved. Refrain from printing the names or non-OA titles of speakers and leaders at OA events in all information materials. OA service titles (but not names) may be used when a speaker or leader is performing the service responsibility of their OA office (Traditions Six and Eight and OA Business Conference Policy 1990).
Ask OA members who work professionally in the field of eating disorders or are members of other Twelve Step programs to speak only about their personal experience as recovering compulsive eaters in Overeaters Anonymous (Tradition Five).
Reimbursement to a speaker beyond travel, food, and lodging is not appropriate (Tradition Eight).
Only OA-approved literature should be offered for sale at an OA event. For a list of books and pamphlets, see the OA-Approved Literature List at oa.org/document-library under “Guidelines” or contact the World Service Office (WSO). Locally produced literature should be used with the greatest discretion (Tradition Six).
Committees
An event sponsored by a group or service body is an opportunity to involve many members in Twelfth Step work. The larger the event, the more members needed to share the workload. The following are examples of service needs and opportunities:
Program volunteer
Plans the program and obtains speakers or leaders.
Registration volunteer
Handles preregistration and on-site registration.
Treasurer
Deposits receipts, pays bills incurred by the event, and furnishes detailed accounting of income and expenses when the event is over. Funds may be collected via check or electronic funds transfer (if available to group/service body).
Decorations volunteer
Responsible for signs and decorations.
Public Information volunteer
Sends information about the event to local newspapers, radio and television stations, and nearby groups, unaffiliated groups, and service bodies.
Literature volunteer
Handles OA literature to be sold at the event.
Hospitality volunteer
Provides greeters and arranges for refreshments.
Entertainment volunteer
Arranges for songs, skits, dance music, or other entertainment.
Finances
There are no dues or fees at meetings; however, it is not against the Traditions to charge fees for OA events. Events should be self-supporting to enable groups and service bodies to carry out their primary purpose, as many are held, in part, as fundraisers. Estimating both the total expenses and expected attendance should be part of event planning in order to calculate the suggested registration fee.
Items to consider when estimating expenses are: meeting room rental fees, publicity costs (printing, postage, posters, etc.), programs, name tags, decorations, and other handouts. Speakers’ expenses may include transportation, lodging, and meals. For a single-day event, consider asking a local member to host the speaker if they must stay overnight, which will lower this cost. Estimated expenses divided by estimated attendance will indicate the appropriate amount needed per person to cover costs. A registration fee is then added to that amount if the purpose of the event includes fundraising.
Many events encourage preregistration by charging less for those who register early than those who register at the event. This makes event planning easier and allows for the event’s cancellation if there is an indication that costs will not be covered. Like meetings, all OA events should be self-supporting. Collecting a Seventh Tradition at the event is another way to increase contributions.
It is customary to turn no one away from an OA event for lack of funds; however, it is not necessary to provide meals and lodging. Event organizers may wish to suggest to those who feel they cannot afford the registration fee to honestly decide how much they can contribute and accept it with no further questions. It is also possible to ask these members to give service at the event in order to practice their Seventh Tradition. Some service bodies set up “scholarship” funds to help those in need.
Good financial practices for OA events may include the following (depending on the size and complexity of the event):
Set up a separate bank account for OA events.
Require two signatures for authorization on all expenditures.
Pay all expenditures and refunds, if any, by check.
Require receipts for all expenditures.
Keep a log of all registrations received, recording check or cash information.
Appoint three knowledgeable OA members to an audit committee to verify the financial report to protect both the treasurer and the sponsoring body.
Issue a financial report itemizing income, expenses, and net profit or loss soon after the event. The income section should detail the number of people who registered and the amount received. Receipts and expenditures for items should be separated by category, such as literature, refreshments, fundraising, etc.
Sale of Merchandise
The following statement was adopted by the delegates at the 1984 World Service Business Conference (amended 2014): “It is the will of the Business Conference that sale of merchandise, per se, is not prohibited by the Traditions. With regard to sale of merchandise, ‘Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole.’ If you choose to sell merchandise, the following guidelines are suggested:
All sales be made by and for OA service bodies.
Each sale item be approved by group conscience.
Sales at OA events and functions should be conducted in such a manner so as not to divert or distract from our primary purpose to carry the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.”
In accordance with our Traditions, each group and service body may determine whether to sell merchandise. Overeaters Anonymous must be ever mindful of our Traditions, which warn against endorsement of outside enterprises.
Program and Choosing Speakers
Recovery events are centered on a theme that is related to the OA Twelve Step program. Topic ideas may be taken from OA-approved literature. Only OA members may be invited to act as event and workshop leaders and speakers.
Some event planners invite a guest speaker, while others rely solely on members attending the event. The sponsoring group or service body determines the eligibility requirements for leaders and speakers. Most events have abstinence requirements for lead speakers but encourage all attending to share if that is a part of the event agenda. Groups and service bodies are encouraged to dialogue with potential and selected speakers to ensure both that there is a mutual understanding of expectations and requirements of the materials they will present when sharing their recovery with the OA audience and that they will conduct themselves fully within the Twelve Traditions of OA.
We suggest that the following OA Speaker Statement be read at all OA events:
“OA speakers do not represent OA as a whole, but speak from their own experience, strength, and hope. OA recognizes there are individual approaches and different concepts of working the Twelve Step program of recovery. We all are reminded that our common disease and our common purpose unite us; differences in approaches to recovery need not divide us. OA is strengthened when we honor and respect all by practicing unity with diversity.”
Unfortunately, some speakers promote outside enterprises, such as eating disorder centers and counseling services; sell their own literature and tapes; or require signed contracts, use of outside services, or other actions that raise concerns. One way to verify a speaker’s respect for the OA Traditions is to seek a recommendation from another OA group or service body for which the individual has spoken. Another method is to ask the potential speaker for a copy of a recording from a previous event where the speaker has shared.
Additional Suggestions
Contact other groups, service bodies, the region trustee, or the World Service Office with questions or for assistance. They may have more detailed information on how to plan for events.
Keep it simple.
Consider handicapped access and the comfort of attendees.
Schedule plenty of breaks and time for sharing.
Plan ahead. Include a variety of topics to accommodate all attendees.
Avoid scheduling on holidays, either national or religious, unless that is the purpose of the event (e.g. some groups and service bodies choose to hold events on holidays where large meals tend to be part of the celebratory aspect of the day). Check with nearby intergroups and service boards (as well as region and the WSO) that may be planning an event on or around the same date. This may hurt attendance at both events.
Focus on this event, not last year’s or what some other area has done.
Remember to “let go and let God” and enjoy the event.
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
These guidelines have been developed through the experience of OA members and the Board of Trustees, who have contributed to their creation. They reflect OA Traditions and Concepts of Service as reflected in our OA Conference-approved literature. These guidelines are strong suggestions based on the experience of those who have gone before. The guidelines do not replace the group conscience of local OA members, but we encourage OA groups and service bodies to consider carefully before acting contrary to these suggestions.
Overeaters Anonymous supports the development of literature where current OA literature doesn’t fill a need. Locally produced literature may include stories of personal recovery unique to specific geographic areas, languages, or cultural groups. While the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are the common ground of all OA members throughout the world, stories that demonstrate our diversity can help individuals achieve recovery.
Locally produced literature may also include material for public information or professional outreach efforts in a specific area, or OA recovery-oriented literature. OA newsletters have their own specific guidelines, Guidelines for OA Newsletters, available at oa.org/document-library under “Guidelines.”
In the spirit of unity, the following guidelines are offered to assist in the development of locally produced literature.
Locally produced literature should be developed, reviewed, and approved by a service body beyond the group level, except for newsletters, meeting lists, flyers, posters, letterhead, and business cards.
The OA logo may be used only with written permission. Submit the “Permission to Use the OA Logo” form (PDF or DOCX), available on the Copy Requests page at oa.org, to the World Service Office to start the process. The group or service body name must appear under the logo.
If developed for sale, the literature may be sold only within the Fellowship.
Check the copyright procedures and guidelines on the Copy Requests page at oa.org for an explanation of what literature requires written permission to reprint and what does not. To reprint excerpts from literature not listed as available to registered groups and service bodies for reprinting without written permission, submit the “Reprint Permission” form (PDF or DOCX) to the World Service Office (WSO).
Include the following disclaimer on the cover page of each piece of literature: “This literature has been locally produced by [service body name here]. The content reflects the experience, strength, and hope of our local members. It is not OA Conference- or Board-approved and does not represent OA as a whole.”
We recommend that the Responsibility Pledge be included in all published locally produced literature, social media, newsletters, and bulletins.
Upon completion of the literature’s development, prior to publication, send one copy to the region liaison and one copy to the WSO. If your service body has not received permission to use the OA logo yet, this copy should be sent with a “Permission to Use the OA Logo” form for permission to publish the literature with the logo.
Literature should not judge programs in other areas or compare them with the local program.
Review literature carefully to ensure it upholds our Traditions.
If the literature includes personal stories of recovery, it is recommended that diverse stories by multiple authors be included.
We recommend the sponsoring service body create a committee of three to four currently abstinent members to oversee the literature development or review process. This committee should bring their recommendations to the sponsoring service body for approval.
“Local literature should be considered temporary and discontinued when OA literature approved for general use is available to cover the topic” (Statement on Approved Literature adopted at the 2010 World Service Business Conference, amended 2012). To read the full Statement, see the OA-Approved Literature List at oa.org/document-library under “Guidelines.”
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
Use this guide with suggestions of what to say and what not to say when speaking to someone about OA for the first time.
DOs
I am open to talking about my recovery.
I mention how much my weight has changed, and I may show my pre-OA photo.
I am positive and happy when talking about OA.
I am always willing to give out the New Prospect Card and my phone number.
I emphasize the peace of mind I have found in life around food.
I suggest that people come to a meeting and just listen. Nothing is required of them.
I mention OA to my doctor and other health care professionals.
I carry the message as part of my action plan.
I am concise when talking about the OA program, leaving room for curiosity.
I explain the concept of “just for today.”
I mention that OA is a nonprofit organization and there are no membership dues or fees.
I share how OA has helped in all facets of my life.
I explain some of the program’s Tools.
I give examples of my unhealthy eating behaviors from before OA (such as eternal dieting, starving, bingeing, constantly weighing myself).
I say that our program is modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous and that my problem is similar to alcoholism. OA is for people who use food just like alcoholics use alcohol.
I offer to meet them at their first meeting if at all possible.
DON’Ts
I don’t tell people that OA is the only way.
I try not to sound like a preacher or give a speech.
I don’t judge other people, and I don’t label them as compulsive overeaters.
I don’t talk about another’s shape or weight, only my own.
I do not mention specific spiritual or religious beliefs.
I don’t speak about OA to someone new unless he or she shows an interest.
I don’t try to “sell” the Twelve Step program or exaggerate about it.
I don’t promise anything.
I don’t put down diets or methods of weight loss; I don’t compare OA to other programs.
I don’t give too much information about meetings and how it all works; the best way to understand is to come to a meeting.
I don’t give unsolicited advice or suggestions.
I don’t rush people into making a decision.
I don’t argue.
I don’t shut the door. Even if someone is not interested now, he or she may be interested in the future.
“I don’t have to wait until I am perfect to do service.” (Voices of Recovery, Second Edition, p. 252)
“Service gives me practice at freeing myself from the bondage of self.” (Voices of Recovery, Second Edition, p. 284)
“Only by working with those who are not yet free [from the disease] do I fully realize that freedom.” (For Today, p. 252)
“We now have a message of hope to carry to other compulsive overeaters.” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 81)
“When all other measures failed, work with another alcoholic would save the day.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 15)
“Most of us who’ve worked this program will be unable to keep the recovery we have unless we share our experience, strength, and hope with others.” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 82)
“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 89)
“Those of us who live this program don’t simply carry the message; we are the message.” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 87)
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Tradition Five
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion, for this I am responsible.
The Twelve Steps
We admitted we were powerless over food—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Permission to use the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous for adaptation granted by AA World Services, Inc.
The Twelve Traditions
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity.
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole.
Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.
An OA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Every OA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence, the OA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and other public media of communication.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
Permission to use the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous for adaptation granted by AA World Services, Inc.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
Why is a bylaws or a summary of purpose (SOP) document needed?
Either bylaws or a summary of purpose is required by OA Bylaws, Subpart B to register a service body with Overeaters Anonymous.
What is useful about having bylaws and policies?
At the intergroup, service board, region, and world services levels, there are agreed-upon practices that work best if they are clearly defined and recorded. We have elected officers and committees with ongoing responsibilities to be carried out. We have agreed-upon budgeting and spending practices. Bylaws and documented policies and procedures provide a set of guidelines for how our individual service bodies have agreed to operate. Bylaws and a policies and procedures manual can help new service position holders learn how to carry out their duties as well as inform the membership how the group has agreed to do things, such as define job descriptions, fund delegates, plan events, assist new groups, and more. Bylaws and policies and procedures help us convey a unified and consistent message of recovery and are a way to share our collective experience, strength, and hope.
How do you create bylaws or a SOP?
For the sample documents listed below, see the Document Library page on the OA website (oa.org/document-library); click on “Service Body Resources” under the Categories field. You may check with your region trustee about which of the following you need:
Intergroup Bylaws
National Service Board Bylaws
Specific Focus or Language Service Board Bylaws
Summary of Purpose
Form a committee of three to four members to develop the document. Enter information into the sample.
Add additional sections or items to ensure the document covers what your service body feels is necessary. Avoid including policies or procedures for tasks that may be temporary or change frequently. Such items are more appropriate to include in a policies and procedures manual.
Throughout the development process, present sections of the document to the entire service body for group-conscience guidance on how your service body wants to conduct its business.
Present the document as a whole to the entire service body for review, final edits, and group-conscience approval.
Submit a copy of the completed and signed document to your region trustee for review. An electronic file is preferred.
What is a policies and procedures manual?
Policies and procedures are a set of agreed-upon practices that amplify the information contained in your bylaws. For example, your bylaws may say that you elect officers and committee chairs. Your policies and procedures manual may then cite the basic requirements of each job.
Policies and procedures can be changed more easily and quickly than bylaws.
Policies and procedures explain how a policy or bylaw is to be implemented and practiced. This helps with long-term consistency.
Note that, unlike bylaws, policies and procedures do not need to be submitted to your region trustee or the World Service Office (WSO).
What does the region trustee do with the bylaws you submit?
Your region trustee will review the document to be sure it is not in conflict with OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B prior to the registration of your service body with the WSO. Your trustee may make suggestions in accordance with the Twelve Traditions, the Twelve Concepts of OA Service, or for reasons such as clarity. Your service body is encouraged to seriously consider incorporating the suggestions. If changes are made, follow numbers 5 and 6 above.
After your trustee confirms that your bylaws are in agreement with OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, your trustee will forward the approved copy to the WSO and your service body. The trustee will also keep a copy of your bylaws on file.
What happens next?
It is good practice for your service body to review your bylaws and policies and procedures manual annually to ensure that any pertinent changes made at the World Service Business Conference (WSBC), as well as possibly changing local needs, are reflected in the documents. An annual review will help ensure that your documents are consistent with your current practices. Your updated bylaws then need to be submitted to your trustee and the WSO.
The Spiritual Principles of the OA Program
The Overeaters Anonymous Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service have Principles related to them. They are listed here:
“Having worked the Twelve Steps, what did I learn about the Principles?
Honesty. I learned to look truthfully at ugly things that I am powerless over yet make my life unmanageable. It takes honest vision to fully understand there is a problem and that I have no way to solve it myself.
Hope. I came to believe I can have a relationship with a Higher Power who can do things for me that I can’t and that I can be restored to sanity. There is hope that the painful parts of my life can change and that HP has a better plan for me.
Continue reading
Faith. It was a leap of faith that something would sustain me when I stopped my way of doing things. But what I couldn’t imagine doing forever, I could do for one day. Those days added up to a miracle. Aligning my will with God’s and going through scary places in recovery is faith working in my life.
Courage and Integrity. Note the word “fearless” in “fearless moral inventory”; fear and faith don’t coexist. It takes courage and integrity to look back at unflattering moments and share them with another person. To overcome my fear, become vulnerable, and present my true self is the basis for real relationships and connection.
Willingness. It’s the whatever-it-takes clause in the contract with God and being ready, in God’s time, to let go not only of hurtful things we want to change but also defects we enjoy. That’s a scary concept. It’s also one filled with honesty, hope, faith, courage, and integrity – amazing how these Principles work together.
Humility. When I earnestly ask for help, God goes to work, but not necessarily in ways I expect. Humility is acceptance of who we really are and the need to live in harmony with God’s will to find serenity.
Self-discipline and love for others. Life is easier when I avoid doing things that make me owe amends and when I admit my part as soon as possible. The “my part” piece is a revelation – no matter what, I can act with a loving approach.
Perseverance. Even when God’s plan feels difficult, by saying “I can do it today” and doing the next right thing, the todays add up. If I turn back, I’ll never get to the destination.
Spiritual awareness. I came to understand that God is with us always. Spiritual awakening is having a living God in my life; I am taken care of and will get what I need. We are enough and are loved for who we are. I experience God in my connecting with God in others. Connection with God requires work and practice. To hear and understand God’s will, I need to clear my mind.
Service. I don’t only carry the message – I am the message. I don’t need to sell program. I just need to live these Principles. And to keep this recovery, I need to share my experience, strength, and hope with others.
I came to OA thinking I had a problem with food yet learned I had a problem with life. I’ve been blessed beyond anything I ever thought to wish for.” Lifeline, April 2015
The Twelve Concepts of OA Service help us apply the Steps and Traditions in our service work, which is an important part of the OA program. The Concepts define and guide the practices of the service structures that conduct the business of OA.
These Concepts depict the chain of delegated responsibility we use to provide service throughout the world. Although they focus on OA world services, the Concepts direct all OA’s trusted servants to well-considered actions for group participation, decision making, voting, and the expression of minority opinions. The Twelve Concepts support our primary purpose of carrying OA’s message of recovery to the still-suffering compulsive eater.
The Twelve Concepts of OA Service
The ultimate responsibility and authority for OA world services reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
The OA groups have delegated to World Service Business Conference the active maintenance of our world services; thus, World Service Business Conference is the voice, authority and effective conscience of OA as a whole.
The right of decision, based on trust, makes effective leadership possible.
The right of participation ensures equality of opportunity for all in the decision-making process.
Individuals have the right of appeal and petition in order to ensure that their opinions and personal grievances will be carefully considered.
The World Service Business Conference has entrusted the Board of Trustees with the primary responsibility for the administration of Overeaters Anonymous.
The Board of Trustees has legal rights and responsibilities accorded to them by OA Bylaws, Subpart A; the rights and responsibilities of the World Service Business Conference are accorded to it by Tradition and by OA Bylaws, Subpart B.
The Board of Trustees has delegated to its Executive Committee the responsibility to administer the OA World Service Office.
Able, trusted servants, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are indispensable for effective functioning at all service levels.
Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority; therefore, duplication of efforts is avoided.
Trustee administration of the World Service Office should always be assisted by the best standing committees, executives, staffs and consultants.
The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that:
No OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power;
Sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle;
No OA member shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority;
All important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity;
No service action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; and
No OA service committee or service board shall ever perform any acts of government, and each shall always remain democratic in thought and action.
(Reprinted from A Step Ahead newsletter, Fourth Quarter 2011) OA’s group conscience has decided we should display, sell, use and read aloud only OA-approved literature at OA meetings. This includes OA Conference- and board-approved literature and AA conference-approved literature.* Although OA has not reviewed and approved AA literature, we deem their group conscience approved its … Continued
