How to start an NA Freethinkers Agnostics and Atheists meeting
Sick of the 'god Saved me' freek show
Don't get upset ,nothing going to change them ,just move away and start you own meeting.
12 Steps to Starting a New meeting
Step Number one
Find 2 to 3 friends who can commit to the meeting for a year.
The longer the clean time the better, they are happy and think the same as you… and you’re not gonna get into big fights over little stuff .
In the early decisions someone starts demanding things or feels like a control addict walk away. Running a meeting must be a pleasure and you feel very very happy to be with the key members of the group.
Number two
Zoom Room or Both ?
Start a Zoom Meeting its easy run it from your home
Lodge time with us.
Or: Find a room an existing used room is usually good place to start as it is already being rented out , Find a member ask them who to contact and how much rent they’re paying as you are a non-profit Group you usually pay a very lower amount.
Think about a meeting time and day …where is there a day people don’t have a meeting. Does it fit the founding members life schedule. Meetings fail because its at the wrong time for members to get to and this also may well be your member base eg. after 7pm people who work.
Work out a date in a few weeks time you would like to open No rush!!!!
Insurance should be covered by head office NA or the building owners check.
Number three
Work out positions
Treasurer they look after the money
Secretary they look after the meetings log and say the keys to the room.
Tea person they manage the tea and biscuits and milk .
You will have to organise a kettle kettle cups plates teaspoons sugar etc it is fine to start off with plastic cups and plastic teaspoons and slowly fine solid plates.
Please do not go out a spend a whole lot of money.
Secretary Contact the owners of the room and with agreement with your friends book it telling them it will be an ongoing payment.
Treasurer open an account in a community bank which has no fees. Ask the three members to chip in the equivalent of four weeks rent Ask the three members to chip in the equivalent of four weeks rent
Number four
Get together and come up with a name for the group. Don’t be boring ‘Children of chaos’, SecularWildcats ,Free Thinking Lhasa Heads etc,
Contact your local area and have them advertised the meeting on the NA website just remember central office does not tell you what to do there there to support you with your meeting.
You can buy banners etc and literature and usually they have a starter kit if you want to get it.
It is wise to have a little sign outside the meeting and very good directions of how to get to it on the website,
Number five
Start advertising the room at other meetings……. yes its going to happen
expect some creeps back talk remember your starting it be cause of people like them.
Number six
Work out the format for the meeting and type it out (very important)
Example
Welcome to the meeting. This is the Tibetan Lhasa freethinking agnostics and atheists 7 o’clock meeting
The theme of this meeting is open for those who do not identify with metaphysics and exdo plasma In the life of their recovery.
This is a safe meeting space for Freethinkers Agnostics and Atheists.
Sharing should be kept under five minutes so everyone can get to share.
The chairperson will choose people.
We will have a reading from the pamphlets provided “who is an addict””just for the day” Etc
We are working through the “book 12 steps without God” and wall read out a chapter. Then share on it.
At the end of the meeting we finish with 30 seconds quite for the addict who still suffers.
Then we start just for the day
Please raise your hand if you will help with washing the dishes and packing away the chairs thank you.
Number seven
Don’t worry nothing is fixed in stone. meeting size changes all the time.
collect group members write them in the log with their phone numbers for clean dates.
Number eight
Chairman don’t let God bother’s lecture or shame the group during there share …politely remind them this is a meeting for Freethinkers Agnostics and Atheists and we’re not interested in their opinion and they need to respect out right to recover how we like. If needed ask them to leave. Men don’t go to women only meetings.
Try to make the meeting at least pay for the cost of the rent so chairman pass the cup around again addicts are cheapskates when they get clean remind them of how much they spent a day on drugs !?
Number nine
Save the extra money for when the meetings numbers get low like in winter 6 months rent in the bank is great.Use funds to buy the kettle biscuits so no one feels the meeting owes them.Don’t worry about area till you get a few years under your belt.
Number Ten
Remember the meeting is a special needs group. New members they can help and the meeting will flow and change with the different personalities which are going regularly and they put their five cents into the format and taking coffee etc. But You must explain to new member at the group conscience what the meeting is for if they don’t like it don’t have them join.
Number eleven
As long as the three founding members try to stick together for a couple of years the meeting will usually continue and you can break away from it if your life changes.
Number twelve
Remember this is your meeting group, it is fully autonomous . It is really worth reading through traditions…. they were created due the issues groups can have…If you get stuck go to the text.
Starting a new meeting It’s very exciting at the beginning and gives you a great sense of belonging .and is service to the fellowship and please remember that you are powerless over people and Addicts will “let people down” so expect it.
Our website gets around 15-20 Visitors a day or 7000 a year.
We know with great variety of videos its going to stretch some uneducated smaller minds and punch ignorance ,Sorry but it is the information age.
