Service

Step 12: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to marijuana addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs."

Service Positions in District 20

Service is one of the best ways to keep coming back, meet new people, and give back our fellowship. It’s highly recommended to engage in service at any point during your recovery.

Meeting Level Service

The following meetings are in need of members to be of service:

District Level Service

The following are open service positions in the District Service Committee:

See job descriptions below

Meeting Secretary/Co-Secretary
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Some meetings choose to have Co-Secretaries, two members who share the responsibilities and switch off each week. Minimum of six months continuous clean time to serve as secretary. Length of term is usually six months.

Responsibilities include:

Tech Host
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Beneficial to have knowledge of Zoom functionality or be willing to learn. Minimum of three months continuous clean time to serve as Tech Host. Length of term is usually six months.

Responsibilities include:

Group Service Representative (GSR)
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Minimum of six months continuous clean time to serve as GSR. Length of term is usually six months.

Responsibilities include:

District Service Committee (DSC)

District 20 holds its monthly District Service Committee (DSC) meeting the 2nd Sunday of every month at 4 pm (PST) and is open to all members of MA regardless of sobriety time. 

The DSC meeting is where all the business of the District and meetings within the District are discussed, all Officer, Group Service Representatives, and Subcommittee reports are given, and all problems are addressed. 

The District exists to serve its meetings. Services include: purchase and distribution of chips, printing and distribution of literature and meeting schedules, community outreach (through H&I panels and PI), and collection and distribution of monies to MA World Services. In addition, the District provides assistance to individual meetings in need of help, coordinates local events, and offers guidance with sponsorship.

DSC Officers

The DSC Officers are responsible for administering the general business of the District. Great care should be taken in selecting the people who serve in the capacity of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. Our trusted servants should demonstrate the ability to serve as an example to others. The DSC officers for Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Treasurer should have at least one year clean and sober time; the Secretary should have at least six months clean and sober time. DSC officers should have significant District Service Committee background, and a working knowledge of the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts. Term length is one year.

A New Leaf Publication Liaison
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The primary responsibility of the liaison to A New Leaf Publications (“ANLP Liaison”) is to communicate between ANLP and the District. Responsibilities of the ANLP Liaison include: 

Events Chair   
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Act as chairperson for the Events Subcommittee. Typical responsibilities of the Chairperson include: 


Webmaster - Webmaster@ma-sandiego.org
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Manages and updates District 20's website. Responsibilities Include:

Chairperson - Chair@MA-SanDiego.org
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The Chairperson’s primary responsibility is conducting the DSC meeting. This includes preparing the agenda, rationing the time for the various reports, and keeping order. A copy of a suggested DSC Meeting Format (Chapter 15) and the short-form of “Rules of Order as adapted for Marijuana Anonymous” (Chapter 16) can be found in the MA Service Manual. Both of these documents can be of great assistance to the district / region Chairperson.

Responsibilities Include:

Vice Chairperson
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The Vice Chairperson is responsible for assisting the Chairperson in conducting DSC meetings, and for conducting the meeting in the Chairperson’s absence. 

Responsibilities Include:

Treasurer - Treasurer@MA-SanDiego.org 
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The Treasurer’s job is to handle all the District’s money. It is therefore important that District select their Treasurer with care. The Treasurer should be someone who is financially secure, good at managing finances, and has a suggested minimum of one year clean and sober. Experience in business, bookkeeping, banking, or accounting is also helpful but not required. In administering the District checking account. A more detailed description of the Treasurer’s job can be found in the “Guidelines for District / Region Treasurer”, located in Chapter 9 of the Service Manual.

Responsibilities Include:

Secretary - Secretary@MA-SanDiego.org
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The Secretary’s primary responsibility is to handle all of the district’s non-financial paperwork. The most important task is to record clear and accurate minutes of each DSC meeting. 

Responsibilities Include:

Literature  
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Responsibilities Include: 


Sobriety Tokens/Chips - Chips@MA-SanDiego.org
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Responsibilities Include:

Pi/Hi Chair - PIHI@MA-SanDiego.org   
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Typical responsibilities of the Chairperson include: 


District Sub-Committees

The DSC sub-committees are responsible for coordinating some of the work at the District level on specific projects. 

Public Information / Hospitals & Institutions (PI/HI) Committee
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Committee Chair: Adriana V. - pihi@ma-sandiego.org 


Hospitals and Institutions (H&I) Committee Description 

This Subcommittee conducts panels and meetings that carry the MA message to marijuana addicts who have no other way of hearing our message. These addicts may be located at treatment centers, recovery houses, mental health facilities, chemical dependency units, prisons, or other institutions. The amount of work an H&I Subcommittee does will depend on a variety of factors, including the number of treatment facilities in the area, the number of MA members interested in participating in such service, and the amount of collective experience of those members.


H&I responsibilities often overlap those of the Public Information (PI) Subcommittee. H&I and PI should closely cooperate with one another, and a liaison of each Subcommittee should attend each other’s meetings. The Hospitals and Institutions Handbook explains more about how to conduct panels, interact with facility administrators, and organize subcommittee work.


Considering the shared primary purpose of MA at all levels, to carry its message to the marijuana addict who still suffers, membership in the MA World Services H&I Committee may prove particularly valuable for Chairs of this Subcommittee. While gathering, combining and disseminating H&I ideas and efforts is a primary responsibility of the H&I Trustee, membership on the MA World Services H&I Committee enhances its productivity and efficacy, and honors the Fifth Tradition.


Public Information (PI) Committee Description

This Subcommittee informs addicts and others in the community about the MA program of recovery. Many PI projects primarily act to encourage people to write or call MA for more information about meetings. Dispersing information can take on various forms such as distributing flyers, mass mailings, announcements in self-help sections of local newspapers and radio PSAs, to name a few. Similar to the suggestion that the H&I Chair join the MA World Services H&I Committee, it is also recommended that the Chair of this Subcommittee join the MA World Services PI Committee. Perhaps more than any other committees, these two can benefit greatest by eliminating overlap and encouraging mutual support.

Website Committee
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Committee Chair: Phil V. - webmaster@ma-sandiego.org 

District 20's website is currently managed and updated by Phil V. Our website is run through Google Sites. If you have any questions or comments about the website content please send an email to webmaster@ma-sandiego.org

Events Committee
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Dances, picnics, campouts, and special speaker meetings are but a few of the events put on by this Subcommittee. Activities like these both provide a greater sense of belonging and camaraderie between MA members and produce additional income. It should be kept in mind that these activities are designed to enhance the primary purpose of MA, carrying the message to the marijuana addict who still suffers, and do not necessarily replace meetings. Fundraising should not take the place of group contributions in funding District/Region expenses, but rather supplement meeting contributions. 

More information on service positions and opportunities at the World Services level is available on the MAWS website.

MA District 20 is a recognized district of Marijuana Anonymous World Services representing San Diego County. Marijuana Anonymous operates and has service opportunities at the Meeting Level, District Level, and World Service Level. Here is a Breakdown of the Service Levels.

Thank you to flickr user Andy for the header photo. CC license.