The General Service Representative
Your group’s link to A.A. as a whole.
The G.S.R.s of the U.S. and Canada are the very foundation of our general service structure. Through your G.S.R., you can make your group’s voice heard at district meetings, at area assemblies, and eventually at the General Service Conference. Through your G.S.R., your group is strengthened by the shared experience of the other U.S. and Canadian groups, just as your own sobriety is strengthened by the shared experience of other A.A. members.
- A.A. Pamphlet, “G.S.R. General Service Representative”, with permission of AA World Services, Inc.
The GSR Preamble
We are the General Service Representatives. We are the link in the chain of communication for our groups with the General Service Conference and the world of A.A.
We realize the ultimate authority is a loving God as he may express Himself in our Group Conscience. As trusted servants, our job is to bring information to our groups in order that they can reach an informed group conscience. In passing along this group conscience, we are helping to maintain the unity and strength so vital to our fellowship.
Let us, therefore, have the patience and tolerance to listen while others share, the courage to speak up when we have something to share, and the wisdom to do what is right for our group and A.A. as a whole.
- From the GSR Preamble History Page, Area 53
The A.A. Service Manual Combined with the Twelve Concepts for World Service
“Circles of Love and Service” AAWS pamphlet - Explains the A.A. service structure through diagrams. Ideal for A.A.s who are new to service.
Contents of the “official” General Service Representative (GSR) kit
Monthly GSR Forum - Live Zoom Meeting, 1st Sunday Each Month, hosted by Area 48 (Northeast New York)
Resources
As you begin your journey into General Service, you may find these resources helpful as you take on your new responsibilities.
In addition, in-person orientation for new GSRs takes places 30 minutes prior to the start of each assembly in Area 30.
In personal Twelfth Step work, there is no end to communication. The sponsor talks with the drunk; speakers share their experience; we share with each other. But when it comes to general service work, communication has a tendency to break down. It can take hard work to get the attention of alcoholics, but with a creative approach, they can be encouraged to take time out from the nuts and bolts of recovery to think about another phase of their new lives. Once A.A. members are well informed about service, they often want to become involved and to take on their own service responsibilities.
- Page 165 of the “AA Service Manual,” 2021-2023 ed., with permission of AA World Services, Inc.