Service Committees

Our Twelfth Step—carrying the message—is the basic service that the A.A. Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die.

Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer—ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.’s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.

Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description. They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship.

The Computer and Technology Committee meets the second Monday of every month at 7:00 PM The committee consists of a chair, alternate chair, and committee of AAers.  Expert technical skills are NOT required to be part of the committee.

The purpose of the Convention Committee is to coordinate and manage our yearly area 44 convention. To provide a setting where AA members, their family and friends come together for a social and informative weekend.

Members of this committee provide information about A.A. to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession. This group includes health care professionals, educators, members of the clergy, lawyers, social workers, union leaders, and industrial managers, as well as those working in the field of alcoholism. Information is provided about where we are, what we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do.

The purpose of the Corrections Committee is to coordinate the efforts of AA members and groups who are interested in carrying the message of recovery to alcoholics who are in correctional facilities.

We also run a "Temporary Contact Program" that puts incarcerated individuals in touch with sober members living in the town where they will be living when released to help them make the transition to living in society.

The purpose of the films committee is to bring a group together for a fun-filled day or night enjoying a good AA flick! If your group is thinking about having a movie day/night, the Films committee will coordinate a date and time with you to come out and show a movie of your choice (from the approved Films list). We will bring the projector, and set it up. The group will not have to provide anything but a space.

The purpose of the Finance Committee is to assist the Area 44 Treasurer and to make recommendations to the Area 44 Assembly for prudent financial procedures.

The AA Grapevine is the Fellowship's principal magazine, with a circulation of about 120,000 around the world. Members of the committee attend many, if not all, Intergroup meetings, area functions, Bookers, many days of Sharing, and any event we are asked to attend.

Members of the committee go to their home groups and districts. In addition to the magazine itself, we sell tapes and books, including Language of the Heart --150 articles by Bill W.

Like any other A.A. service, the primary purpose of those involved in archival work is to carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous. Archives service work is more than mere custodial activity; it is the means by which we collect, preserve and share the rich and meaningful heritage of our Fellowship.

It is by the collection and sharing of these important historical elements that our collective gratitude for Alcoholics Anonymous is deepened.

The Intergroup Speakers Committee was started in 1999, because it was felt alcoholics should know more about service and Intergroup, and has been carrying the message to the fellowship of how important service has been to our sobriety.

Commitments are obtained by going to Bookers and are filled by any member of the fellowship who has a desire to participate.

Today, as in the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous, the A.A. message of recovery from alcoholism is carried by one alcoholic talking to another. However, since the publication of the first edition of the Big Book in 1939, literature has played an important role in spreading the A.A. message and imparting information about the A.A. Twelve Step program of recovery.

Prepares and maintains maps of Districts and Sections. Also, they work closely with Districts who are in the process of redistricting preparing proposal maps. Special maps that help in Service Work are also available.

This Day is published quarterly as a joint newsletter for Northern New Jersey General Service Area 44 and the Northern New Jersey Intergroup. This Day functions to promote communication between the groups in Northern New Jersey and to provide members with service-related information. This Day is also a forum for the diverse opinions of the Area 44 Fellowship through shared experience, strength, and hope in all three of AA's legacies: Unity, Service, and Recovery.

The Nightwatch Program gives groups the opportunity to be of service in A.A. Nightwatch volunteers answer evening and weekend telephone calls from people who want to find an A.A. meeting or who might need Twelfth-Step help.

The committee is responsible for editorial review, format and update of the Guidelines based on approved recommendations passed at an Area Committee Meeting and / or Area Assembly.

The purpose of P.I. service work is to provide accurate A.A. information to the public when requested. P.I. committees visit schools, businesses and community meetings for this purpose.

They also serve as resources for our friends in the local media, emphasizing our Traditions of anonymity, singleness of purpose and non-affiliation, as well as offering A.A. public service announcements to radio and television stations.

Assisting communities where it is difficult to carry the A.A. message because of language, culture or geography.

Our primary purpose is to carry the AA message by using social media platforms to focus on supporting 12th step work by AA members in each Area 44 District.

The purpose of a treatment committee is to coordinate the work of individual AA members and groups who are interested in carrying our message of recovery to alcoholics in treatment facilities, and to set up means of "bridging the gap" from the facility to an AA group in the individuals community.

The "Official" website for A.A. in Northern New Jersey is found at www.nnjaa.org. The site has been created, administered and maintained as a joint effort by Intergroup of Northern New Jersey and NNJGS Area 44.

These efforts are directed through a joint committee. The committee co-chairs are guided by the Area Committee and by the Intergroup Trustees and Delegates.

• Ad-Hoc Committee

Ad Hoc Committees are formed by the Area Chairperson or Intergroup Trustees and exist for a specific purpose and for a limited duration (they are temporary committees). Once the objective given the committee has been reached the committee automatically dissolves.

• Intergroup Committee

Intergroup committees exist to fulfill specific functions and are formed by majority vote of the Intergroup Delegates.

• Joint Committee

The joint committees are those committees that are jointly chaired and jointly funded by Intergroup and New Jersey General Service Area 44 to fulfill certain standard functions. Such committees are created or dissolved by majority votes of both Intergroup and Area 44, and may be formed with other General Service Areas if the need arises.

• Special Committee

Any Committee in the Area appointed by the Area Chairperson and agreed to by the Area Committee for a special purpose within the Area. Intergroup Delegates or the Board of Trustees of Intergroup may create a special committee to fulfill a specific function for Intergroup. It may be a permanent or time limited committee.

• Standing Committee

Standing Committees exist to perform vital functions in either the Area or Intergroup. These committees are an integral part of the service structure and perfrom vial roles in that capacity.

• Sub Committee

Sub Committees can be formed by any Special or Standing Committee Chair to perform a role that supports it specific purpose