Intergroups

In Area 28 there is a Central Service Office in Portland and a DownEast Intergroup.

What is a Central Office or Intergroup?

“A central office (or intergroup) is an A.A. service office that involves partnership among groups in a community – just as A.A. groups themselves are partnerships of individuals. A central office is established to carry out certain functions common to all the groups – functions which are best handled by a centralized office – and it is usually maintained, supervised, and supported by these groups in their general interest. It exists to aid the groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”
Reprinted from A.A. Guidelines, Central or Intergroup Offices with permission of AA World Services, Inc.

CSO’s and Intergroups are not part of the AA Service Structure but are considered part of AA. As Box 459 from the General Service Office puts it:

Q. Is a central office or intergroup office A.A.?

A. Yes. Central offices and intergroups provide vital local services and Twelfth Step opportunities. A central office or intergroup is an A.A. service office that involves partnership among groups in a community. A central office/intergroup is established to carry out functions common to all the groups, and it is usually maintained, supervised and supported by these groups. It exists to aid the groups in carrying the A.A. message. For further information, see “A.A. Guidelines on Central or Intergroup Offices.”

 Meeting Schedules

Meeting schedules of groups in Area 28 are maintained by the Portland Central Service Office & Downeast Intergroup. As a service to the fellowship, and in keeping with A.A.’s primary purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers, we are providing information on how to get in touch with the Portland CSO and the Downeast Intergroup.

To submit an online meeting change, please go to http://www.csoaamaine.org/meetingchange.htm. NOTE: you still need to submit the change form to our Area28 Registrar or directly to New York. Click here for the forms.

Events

Events taking place in Area 28 are listed by the Portland CSO. They use the same criteria for including AA events as is used by the General Service Office and the Grapevine: that the event is put on by AA members, for AA members and about AA.

Q. What are the criteria for listing A.A. conferences, conventions and similar events in Box 4-5-9 and the Grapevine?

A. G.S.O. defines an A.A. event as one put on by A.A.s, for A.A.s, about A.A.  (BOX 459, GSO, February-March, 2008, p 9)

To submit an event, please go to http://www.csoaamaine.org/submitevent.htm.

The Downeast Intergroup can be reached at www.downeastintergroup.org

The Central Service Office at www.csoaamaine.org