There are three things I want to make sure a man or a woman understands the first time we meet.
This is a group that AA members belong to, so they are a part of the fellowship as a whole. It is a group that they get involved with at group level commitments and also commitments that the group brings outside of group. Examples of group level commitments are: secretary, treasurer, speaker seeker, GSR, commitment coordinator, coffee, literature, set up and clean up. Some examples of outgoing commitments are: speaking at detox, treatment centers (rehab), recovery houses, and speaking at other groups. In my opinion a home group is that one place no matter what that I'm at each week, so that people can find me who I'm trying to help and it's the one meeting I'm at each week to help connect me to AA as a whole and to be of service at group level. This way the rest of the week is spent at outgoing commitments and meeting with men and women one on one to share experience with steps.
I go to one meeting a week and that's my home group, some peoples home group meets more than once a week. The rest of the week is free to practice these principles in all my affairs and most importantly to carry this message to the suffering alcoholic at detox, treatment, or recovery houses, shelters, and speaking at other groups. This then allows time to sit down with them one on one. Also this always me to practice principles in all my affairs, not just at meetings. I don't need to be at a meeting every night of the week. I'm not saying that if you have the time don't, because it's a great place to find people to help and make this solution available to. Meetings are good, I'm just saying that they don't keep us sober; it's the steps we take that does. When I'm sharing my experience with someone and they have a busy life but are not working the steps because they are goi8ng to meetings every night then they have totally missed the mark.
Group unity is so important, because our common welfare comes first, personal recovery follows very close though. There is no personal recovery without the group. Where are the suffering alcoholics going find a solution if there is no group? So if group unity is so important, how do we keep the group together? Very simple, the solution is let God run the group. Sounds simple but how do we do that?
Well traditions 3-12, show us clear cut directions of how to do that. AA is open to everyone, and all groups have the right to be wrong and autonomous in their affairs as long as not directly affecting AA as whole or other groups. Of course all of these principles are up for debate as with the steps, but go to your heart and look for the spirit of their message not the letter of the law and you will find God. My favorite tradition is 5; each group has a message and makes it your group's primary purpose to carry it!!!!! This is what or breaks groups who can't stick to this or afraid too because of trying to fit in or sometimes stand alone. When you stand for the truth as you see it, you never stand alone because God is always with you. Then we have to make sure we don't let things distract us from that purpose, the message is attracting enough don't make your group into a circus act, keep simple. How we know if God is running the show or not is if the group is completely self-supporting. That means we can pay all expenses needed and we don't need other groups to support us, I believe that if a group needs support it needs to really end. We have to remain nonprofessional and we carry this message for free and fun. We must have as least possible organization as possible and rotate commitments as decided by group. Which then we have no opinion on things but just have our experience. What is said or who is seen in the groups, stays in the group. We remain anonymous outside of AA, not inside of AA. We allow God to run group based on principle so our personality is not, that is how we remain anonymous, we give all credit to God.