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Update for Unity Liaison Meeting Minutes – May 2026

The Unity Committee meets every… 

1st Saturday – Full Unity Committee Meeting

10am PST/ 1pm EST/ 3pm Chile, Rio/ 6pm UK/ 19h CET

3rd Sunday – Unity Committee: Liaison 

11am PST/ 2pm EST/ 4pm Chile, Rio/ 7pm UK/ 20h CET 

Zoom Meeting ID:  992 5516 4740

Password: Unity

Unity Liaison Meeting Minutes

Sunday, 17 May, 2026
2:00 PM EDT
Chair: Joe R. (Alt Unity Chair)

Opening

Joe R. opened the meeting with the Declaration of Unity and welcomed all members to join in.

Member Introductions

  • Joe R. – Unity Alt Chair – Connecticut, USA • Jeannette B. – Unity Secretary – California, USA  • Terrie Lynn – Texas, USA • Victor A. – Florida, USA • Jeff T – South France • Janice K. – Seattle Area, USA • Lurdes – Portugal / Washington DC • Arlene – USA  • Pato – Chile  • Melisa Spanish Interpreter
  • Apologies – Jennifer H – Unity Chair

 

Additional visitor:

  • Monica (Mexico) briefly joined after confusing the IGR workshop time and was provided IGR resource links and OIAA calendar information.

Approval of Previous Minutes

    • Motion to approve 2nd May 2026 minutes made by Janice K.
    • Seconded by Victor A.
  • Minutes approved.

Open Service Positions

The following trusted servant positions remain open:

  • OIAA2026 Convention Chair (minimum 5 years sobriety required)
  • Unity Liaison Coordinator (minimum 2 years sobriety required)
  • Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Please send nominations or AA Service CVs to Jen H:

 Unity.Chair@aa-intergroup.org

(Service Description Template)

 

Convention / Subcommittee Updates

Pre-Meeting / Administrative Notes

  • Joe R discussed interpretation request timelines and wording differences between OIAA Assembly and Unity meeting materials. Will follow-up with Jen.
  • Jeannette – Zoom interpretation setup and testing took place prior to the meeting.
  • Jeannette – Clarification provided that the workshop flyer password should read “Unity” (capital U, lowercase nity). It will be fixed soon and the link will remain the same – follow up with Jen.

Unity Liaison Presentation – Jeannette B.

Jeannette shared her screen and provided an overview of:

  • How the IGR and Unity Liaison process connects
  • Relationship between Unity Liaison, PAC, and IGR Steppers
  • Purpose of liaison visits
  • OIAA resources and workshop information
  • The Unity Liaison form and tracking sheet
  • Using Ctrl+F to search liaison records and IGR lists
  • Reviewing whether groups already have IGRs before visits
  • The registrar/IGR list contains sensitive information and should remain private to the Liaison members only
  • Noted that some IGR listings in the current directory may no longer be accurate and suggested members note updates either in the liaison WhatsApp thread or within the liaison form notes section.
  • Logging liaison outcomes and follow-up visits
  • Convention details and host group opportunities
  • Use of the liaison WhatsApp thread for sharing links and resources

Jeannette reminded members:

  • Keep visits simple and low-pressure
  • A little overlap between liaison visits is okay
  • The goal is connection and sharing resources

Questions & Discussion

Lurdes

Asked how to access the liaison tracking sheet and member group list.

Jeannette explained:

  • The sheet contains separate tabs for liaison outcomes and the master member list
  • Links to the form and sheet are available in the liaison WhatsApp group

Lurdes

Shared that several groups expressed interest in joining the liaison team.

Jeannette confirmed:

  • Everyone is welcome to attend OIAA/Unity meetings and have a voice
  • Voting eligibility begins after attending three meetings
  • Members may continue sharing flyers and inviting groups
  • Encouraged to check the OIAA calendar for meeting information

Lurdes also shared that groups from Australia and Hawaii expressed interest.

Additional note- encourage interested Groups & members to contact oiaa.unity@aa-intergroup.org, OR, take their contact details down and we will contact them.

 

Arlene

Asked for clarification regarding the “attempted/no opportunity to connect” outcome option on the liaison form.

Discussion included:

  • Whether meetings marked this way should remain open for future follow-up
  • Concern that wording may be interpreted differently by different liaisons
  • Possibility of adding clearer wording or additional outcome options

Jeannette acknowledged the concern and noted:

  • The form is still a work in progress
  • Further discussion can continue in the liaison WhatsApp group and future meetings

Lurdes

Shared experiences where some meetings:

  • Did not allow OIAA virtual backgrounds
  • Did not allow liaison titles in participant names
  • Did not allow flyer sharing or announcements from outside groups
  • Were less than welcoming

One Portugal meeting experience was described as especially difficult.

Members acknowledged:

  • This was important feedback for future liaison guidance
  • Some groups may have concerns related to Zoom security or outside announcements

Jeff

  • Shared that he was having difficulty locating African meetings/groups within the OIAA directory.
  • Jeannette stated she would review the directory information and provide a list of African groups/meetings in the liaison WhatsApp thread.

____________________________________________________________________________

New Business

Serenity Statement Proposal

Janice K. presented a proposal to:

  • Refer to the closing as the “Serenity Statement”
  • Replace “God grant me” with “I seek the serenity”

Arlene seconded the proposal for discussion purposes.

Discussion reflected differing viewpoints from members.

Comments in support of the proposal included:

  • A desire to make meetings more welcoming to newcomers uncomfortable with “God” language
  • Inclusivity and accessibility for agnostic or atheist members
  • Possible flexibility in wording during recitation

Comments expressing concern about the proposal included:

  • Respect for traditional AA wording and practices
  • Personal comfort with the existing Serenity Prayer wording
  • Concerns about changing established AA language
  • Members sharing that spirituality and the concept of a higher power evolved over time within their own recovery
  • Jeannette shared she would be comfortable referring to the closing as the “Serenity Statement” but was not comfortable removing “God grant me” from the wording.
  • Janice responded that this could be a possible happy medium/compromise approach, allowing members individual choice regarding wording used during recitation.

No vote was taken and no action was made on the proposal during this meeting.

__________________________________________________________________________

Other Business

  • During closing discussion, Jeannette noted that an announcement requested by Jen regarding the upcoming OIAA General Assembly had not yet been shared during the meeting.
  • Shortly following the meeting, information regarding the OIAA General Assembly scheduled for Saturday, 20 June 2026, including registration and interpretation deadlines, was shared in the WhatsApp threads.

 

🌐 OIAA General Assembly Reminder

The next OIAA General Assembly will be held on:

🗓 Saturday, 20 June 2026

🕑 2:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM CT | 11:00 AM PT | 🇬🇧 19:00 UK | 🇪🇺 20:00 CET

📄 Assembly Information:

aa-intergroup.org

🗳 Groups must register their IGR with the Registrar by:

Friday, 12 June 2026

🌐 Requests for interpretation must be sent to the Unity Chair by:

Friday, 5 June 2026

📧 Jennifer H – unity.chair@aa-intergroup.org

One-Word Takeaways

  • Members shared one-word takeaways including: Unity • Progress • Fellowship • Progress • Fellowship • Compromise • Coffee • Gratitude • Exciting

Closing

The meeting closed with:

  • Responsibility Statement
  • Serenity Prayer

  Next Unity meeting:
  Saturday, 6th June 2026
  1:00 PM ET

 

In love and service,

 

Jeannette B

Unity Committee Secretary

OIAA (Online Intergroup of AA)

unity.secretary@aa-intergroup.org


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