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April 18th, 2025
401-438-8860
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Unity
Tradition Five, Long Form:
Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose – that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
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Group Anniversaries
Sat. April 26th Providence-BROTHERS IN SOBRIETY– St. Martin Church, 50 Orchard Ave., 41st Anniversary 6:30PM – 8PM Guest Speakers w/ Potluck to follow
Mon. April 28th Providence-JUDGEMENT FREE-Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell St, 5th Anniversary , 6:30PM
Thu. May 1st Lincoln- FOOTPRINTS– Lincoln Woods State Park, 2 Manchester Print Works Rd., 7 AM.11th Anniversary Followed by May Breakfast
Sat. May 3rd Kingston– KINGSTON SATURDAY NIGHT- St. Augustine’s Church, 15 Lower College Rd. 50th Anniversary 7:30PM Meeting Guest Group/Buffet to follow.
Thu. May 8th Kingston-WE WANT TO LIVE– Kingston Congregational Church, 2610 Kingstown Rd., 37th Anniversary. 7PM Potluck & Fellowship 7:30PM Guest Speaker
Mon. May 12th Warwick-IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY- Faith Baptist Church, 765 Commonwealth Ave., 20th Anniversary. 6:30PM Food & Fellowship, 7:30PM Guest Speakers
Sun. May 18th Woonsocket-HAPPY WANDERERS– Holy Family Church, 414 So. Main St., 64th Anniversary, 11AM Guest Speaker & Buffet
Tue. May 20th Providence- R.I. L.G.B.T.– Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell St., 49th Anniversary, 7PM Guest Speaker/Small Buffett
Mon. May 26th Somerset, MA-RETREAD– Church Of Our Saviour, 2112 County St., 54th Anniversary7:30PM Guest Speakers/ Buffet
Thur. May 29th Providence- YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IRISH– Providence Presbyterian Church, 500 Hope St., 36th Anniversary 7:30PM Guest Speakers & Buffet
Sun. Jun 1st Portsmouth-PORTSMOUTH SUNDAY MORNING– Common Fence Point Community Center, 933 Anthony Rd, 53rd Anniversary. 11AM. Guest Speakers/ Buffet
Fri. June 6th Mansfield, MA-ALIVE AGAIN– Congregational Church of Mansfield, 17 West St. 44th Anniversary 8PM. Guest Speakers/ Buffet
CHANGES
Providence- BREAKFAST WILL BILL– Our Lady Of The Rosary, 71 Travers St. Beginning Saturday April 26th Thru Saturday May 31st The Saturday Meeting will change time will meet from 8AM to 9AM.Sunday Thru Friday meetings will continue to meet from 7AM to 8AM
Narragansett- SPIRITUAL AWAKINGS– Open Discussion has moved outside. Beginning Thursday May 1st they willmeet on Narragansett Town Beach , Chair #1, 39 Boston Neck Rd., daily at 7AM .
Warwick-Warwick Mall @ 6PM-will be moving outside, to the Warwick Mall (Firestone Parking lot),400 Bald Hill Rd. Sunday thru Friday at 6PM as of Thursday, May 1st
Providence- THE GIFT– Open Big Book. Bulter Hospital (Ray Hall),345 Blackston Blvd., Friday at 7PM has been TEMPORIRLY CLOSED until August 1St
Warren- WOMEN AND THE 12&12– Closed 12 &12 will be moving to Warren Town Hall (Youth Center), 514 Main St., Mondays at 5:45PM . Effective Monday, May 5th
North Attleboro, MA- NORTH 12 & 12-Open BBSS. Congregational School House, 676 Old Post Rd., have changed their meeting day and time. They now meet on Sundays at 7PM.
GROUPS RE-OPENING
Lincoln- FOOTPRINTS– Lincoln Woods State Park, 2 Manchester Print Works Rd., daily at 7 AM. Rain Days meet in the Gazebo. Starts Thursday, May 1st.
NEEDS SUPPORT
North Attleboro, MA- NORTH 12 & 12-Open BBSS. Congregational School House, 676 Old Post Rd., Sundays at 7PM
Middletown- WE HAVE TO LIVE IT-Open Big Book Study (Women) (Hy-brid). YANA Club, 770 Aquidneck Island., Thursdays at 7pm Zoom ID: 878 5125 0686 Password: 000456 Telephone Passcode: 878 5125 0686 #
BOOKIES MEETING
The DESIRE TO STOP group will host a Bookies Exchange Session the last Saturday of each month at 11:30AM (Prior to the OLD TIMERS MEETING) Cameron Recovery Center, 68 Falmouth St., Attleboro, MA
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ATTENTION ALL GROUPS and INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
RI CENTRAL SERVICE Treatment & ACCESSIBILITIES Committee will once again provide AA meetings for both the Detox Unit and the Dual Diagnosis Unit at Roger Willams Hospital. Any Groups or Individual member willing to provide AA Speakers for a monthly commitment please contact RI Central Service
RI Central Service is always in the process of up-dating our 12-STEP LIST. Anyone willing to be added to the list should contact their Group Secretary or call Central Service. “When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there and for that I am responsible
The next regular meeting for Central Service Delegates will be held Via Zoom on Wednesday, May 21st 2025, New Delegates Orientation will begin at 6:45PM , Regular Delegates Meeting at 7PM Zoom Meeting ID: 312 255 2726 – Password : RICS1. Meeting ID and links will be sent to all registered Central Service Delegates and will also be available on website
We need volunteers to help with our monthly mailing – takes less than one hour. The next mailing will take place at Central Service, 1005 Waterman Ave, E. Providence on Wednesday , May 28th at 9AM.
“Unity “ group will be host the District 1 JOY OF SERVICE on Monday May 19th at 7:30PM Precious Blood Church Hall, 94 Carrington St., Woonsocket. AA “Game Show Style” and Ice Cream Bar Bring a Newcomer and Learn about Service
Our Area 61 Delegate will be giving a Report Back on The Annual General Service Conference Tuesday May 6th, at 7:30PM Hosted By Age Doesn’t Matter, United Methodist Church,350 Boston Neck Rd., North Kingsto
AREA 61 Grapevine Committee will host a virtual Grapevine Writing Workshop on Sunday May18thfrom 4PM to 6PM Zoom ID 912 640 0169 Password: Area61
R.I.C.S PI/DUI Committee is recruiting a pool of Volunteer Speakers willing to occasionally share at State Driver
Retraining Classes. We will be answering requests from all CCRI Campus (Lincoln, Warwick, Newport and
Providence). If you would volunteer for this vital service or would like more information
please contact Gordon E. at [email protected] or call the Central Service Office
“The Area 61 Treatment and Accessibilities Committee (TAC) is looking for groups to share their experience, strength and hope across RI in various treatment and detox facilities. Please visit the “Treatment and Accessibilities” sub-committee page on AAinRI.com (found under the “Area 61 Subcommittees” button in the main navigation bar) and click the “Submit Group Interest in Facility Commitment” button to see facilities in need of commitments. Please complete the required fields in the form and submit. A TAC member will respond within 72 hours with available day/time openings for the facilities
So RI Intergroup is always looking for members willing to volunteer to do 12 Step Work. Manning the Office, Answering Phones, Rides, as well as people wanting to become involved in Committee Work. There are several Opportunities for Service Available Contact So RI Intergroup at 401-739-8777 for more information
***Please note the deadline for submitting any information for the next today is Friday, May 23rd ,2025
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RECOVERY
RICS will sponsor a virtual “OPEN MIC NIGHT NITE” Saturday May 3rd Starting at 8PM. Zoom Meeting ID: 856 8703 0297 Passcode:891419 Anyone interested in performing or needing more information should contact Austin D Email: [email protected]om
Central Service will sponsor our annual GOLF SCRAMBLE on Friday, May 9th.
at the Cranston Country Club
69 Burlingame Rd., Cranston. $138 per person includes Greens fees, Carts,
Golf balls, Prizes, Coffee, Snacks and great Buffet
Registrations have been sent to all registered group secretaries
RI Central Service will host a “FELLOWSHIP PICNIC” Saturday, July 19, 2025- 12Noon to 6PM With a rain date of Sunday, July 20th At Colt State Park, 114 Hope St, Bristol. Sites 33 & 34 AA Speaker Meeting at 5PM, Tickets will be a $10.00 Suggested Donation. We will supply the Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and condiments. Bring your own drinks, your own chair, and a dish to share! Please sign up in advance so we can estimate the food needed.
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It must never be forgotten that the purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is to sober up alcoholics. There is no religious or spiritual requirement for membership. No demands are made on anyone. An experience is offered which members may accept or reject. That is up to them.
Bill W.
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Tradition Five
Tradition Five: What A Group “Ought” To Be
An AA says we can’t transmit what we don’t have. The first thing Tradition Five tells us is what a group is, or at least “ought to be.”
We are not a sociological entity, although sociologists find us fascinating. We are not a therapy group, although remarkable healing takes place among us. And we are not a religion, even though some people want to see us as such. We are a spiritual entity, or at least “ought to be.”
To me, that means that, although we are not saints, we “ought to” strive for spiritual progress. We follow a spiritual path laid out for us by Bill, Bob, and the first one hundred members of Alcoholics Anonymous. That spiritual path consists of the Twelve Steps, and by later development, the Twelve Traditions. They are suggestions only, but very firm suggestions–norms for our spiritual progress. We are a Fellowship of men and women who ought to come together as a spiritual entity.
We deal with two things here: our being and our doing. Clearly, what we are is going to have a lot to do with what we do. And what we do is going to have a strong influence on what we are
We shake our heads at the “Two-Steppers” who, still on the First Step, take it upon themselves to run around “Twelfth-Stepping” whomever they can corner. We know they have not acquired a solid enough foundation in AA spirituality to pass it on to others. They forget the old saying: nemo dat quod non habet (No one can give what he doesn’t have). Soon, without the gratification of instant success, discouragement sets in. The Two-Stepper must learn to be spiritual first, or give in to discouragement and quit AA
Can this happen to a group? I think it can. When individuals in a group neglect the spiritual program of Alcoholics Anonymous and come to the meetings as if they were “fellowship” and nothing more; or when they dilute the meeting to focus on other things, or disparage spirituality, thinking it’s the intrusion of religion; then, as a group, they stop being a spiritual entity. The group gets its spirituality from its members
What does this mean to me personally? It means that my AA spirituality is the very foundation of my sobriety. The group will be as spiritual as its members are spiritual
So my spiritual condition strengthens or weakens the spirituality of the group. Therefore, it increases or lessens our chances for survival as a group, and our chances for sobriety as individuals in the group.
Besides taking good care of my own spirituality, I try to encourage activity that might strengthen the spirituality of the group, such as Twelfth Step workshops. Weekend events can become very popular and even traditional occasions in the life of the group. Whatever strengthens the spirituality of the group strengthens my spirituality, and vice versa. Whatever does that, increases my chances of staying sober, and at the same time, helps me and the group to remain focused on our primary purpose.
By: Anonymous
Reprinted from Grapevine May 2006
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