The ACA Oregon Intergroup is hosting the second annual Fall Retreat, November 16-19, 2017, at Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Enjoy a long weekend filled with ACA fellowship, workshops, meetings, arts and crafts and more – all in a friendly and safe environment near the ocean! Update: Pacific Woods Lodge is SOLD OUT
Register early as space is limited to 75 attendees. We are over 50% full! Registration will be open until the maximum number of 75 attendees OR November 2nd is reached, whichever comes first.Payment must be received as well as your registration form in order to be “registered”. You must be registered to attend the retreat. More details are on the forms. There are two forms to choose from.
PRINT-aca-retreat-registration-form2 is a form you can open and print, then fill out by hand. Simply open the PDF in Acrobat and print. Then complete and mail with your payment to the address listed on the form. If you like, use PayPal but still mail the form. No cash please.
DIGITAL-aca-retreat-registration-form2 is a PDF you can complete on your computer and email (and use PayPal for your payment). Simply open the DIGITAL file in Acrobat, complete all form fields, then Save As (include your first name and last initial [no spaces] just before “.pdf”) and email it to the address listed on the form and below. For example, once I fill out my form, I will Save As and rename the file DIGITAL-aca-registration-form-ruthl.pdf.
We look forward to seeing you!
If you have questions, email: acaportlandretreat@gmail.com
Yours in service,
ACA Portland Retreat Committee
Thank you Portland ACA retreat committee for putting on this event!
I am very grateful for your service to our community. I see you are practicing the solution as a group, with conscience, and I applaud that. Taking care of yourself as you do your service is being your own loving parent. As we learn to focus on ourselves, and allow others to be responsible for themselves while doing service, challenges will arise in my experience. I applaud you for setting the boundaries to take care of yourselves in this process.
As a hero child, the caretaker and a people pleaser I have struggled in finding the balance of being my own loving parent and doing service. My experience briefly as intergroup chairperson and my own discovery that I needed to step down from that position(done ungracefully) to continue working (at that time) my fourth step really forced me to look at how to integrate my gifts in service and my needs for my true self. The challenge of not throwing out the baby with the bathwater is a hard one for me. I feel strengthened in my recovery by that process.
It is my sincere hope that you continue to care for yourselves as you simultaneously work your program and do service in our community. I know you have volunteered hours of your time in addition to working your own recovery, in the service of others and in the service to yourself. I also am deeply and personally aware of how the criticisms of your work and judgments are and have been offered your direction from decisions you have made in the group conscience can be quite painful and feel threatening to your program. Oh my, will we ever feel comfortable with the uncomfortableness of working our programs? I think not, in my experience I just get more comfortable and living with the uncomfortable. I take more and more serenity in the “peoples”serenity prayer, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change…. You know the rest.
I am extremely grateful that you have come together as a group, and reached a group consensus, that you recite the second tradition meditation. It is quite powerful, and I feel that it really addresses some of the challenges we face learning to talk, trust and feel in a group conscience. Doing service in recovery really takes the integration of our amazing gifts to new realities.
In sincere gratitude and thanks for the service you do to our community. It is the work that heals us and you have truly shown that it is more than the discovery, but the recovery that does our community service.
I have included, respectfully, tradition two and the tradition two meditation.
2nd tradition:
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.
Tradition two meditation:
Higher power. I understand that you make your voice heard in a group conscience. I ask you to remind me that the life of my program and, therefore, my own recovery depends upon my willingness to put the groups welfare above my own will. Where I disagree with the common view of my fellows in service, allow me to state my case honestly and respectfully. Allow me to listen to and consider the views of others. May I state my view and support all good decisions, including the ones I might disagree with. Your will, not mine, be done.
In gentleness, humor, love and respect
James D.