The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I am closing our local meeting after years of keeping it open. I am frustrated about the lack of interest & no support for my commitment. I have been praying for awhile whether I should close the meeting. I am just grateful that it was open for many years & was the longest standing meeting in our small town. But, we still have a meeting going on another day in the afternoon which seems to be the perfect time for those who can go to a meeting at all. So, we are not high & dry w/o a meeting at all.
Do you all think I did the right thing? By the way, I discussed it w/ the other member & she agreed that it is time. She happens to be my mother. Many times she has opened the meeting up for me. Now she can rest easy & make other plans I guess.
Dear Kathleen, It sounds like you gave it much time and prayer, therefore, I am sure it was the right choice for the time being. We closed a local meeting a few years ago and I still miss it, but it was absolutely the right decision. Take care...
We almost had to close our home group meeting. For a few weeks in Feb/Mar we were only getting 3 people and one of the long time members said that she would give it till June for things to pick up or she would have to find another group. We considered many different things to attract new people; switching nights, switching venues....
One week we had 3 newcomers come in and they decided to stay. We now get on average 7 members a week and we are able to put away money to send the GR (me :) ) to assembly. We are doing better than we can imagine.
but, we were close to shutting down. I am noticing that people nowadays seem to prefer the larger meetings as suburbanization increases in my area, the population will shift and many people maybe wont want to trek to any older area. The problem with newly built churches is that they charge an exorbitant amount for rent. Sometimes, we must accept it is time to move on.
I believe that the right way to close one is with a group conscious vote. Sometimes within that vote someone else will step up to the plate. I've seen Slogan_Jims event many times myself where the thought is to close and then the spirits arrive. I've also sat in a meeting alone with my HP or with one other person coming to the door and asking "Does Al-Anon" meet here? Sacred words for me are the Al-Anon declaration, "When anyone....anywhere....reaches out for help; I want the hand of Al-Anon to always be there and let it begin with me". Sooooo inspiring considering that I was once one of those anyones' myself. In support (((((hugs)))))
It's interesting to me because our meeting is getting to big at this point and I would prefer a smaller meeting .. it can be extremely intimidating to come into a large meeting as a newcomer and sometimes it's just nice to have it be a smaller deal.
That being said .. what both Slim and Jerry have shared are very valid points. A group conscious is a very good way to go though in closing the meeting .. it does allow others to step up and say yes or no, and maybe they would be more willing to take some of the responsibility .. after all Alanon is a "we" program not a "me" one.
Hugs P :)
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Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.- Maya Angelo
I like the group conscience meeting idea, too. I am someone who feels a bit lost in big meetings. I notice that usually, the same people in large meetings tend to over-share, and then, for time's sake, we go around the room to try to make sure everybody has a chance to speak if they want to do that. Of course, there are those who do want to speak (often newcomers), but "Pass," "Pass," begins because those aware that its only an hour meeting and aware of the time sacrifice their desire to share. That kind of sends a message to a newcomer that they probably should pass, too. In smaller groups, everybody really does get a chance to share if they want to do that, even if it means we close the meeting in less than an hour if all agree or if a newcomer just finds us shortly before we close. I'm not saying that closing the meeting isn't the right thing to do, but I do think I'd sound the call for a group conscience meeting first if that hasn't happened.
