A.A. Conference-approved Foundation for Early A.A. History

The Case for A.A. Meetings Providing History From Conference-approved Literature

Old School A.A. First Century Christianity Recovery Approaches

Dick B. and Ken B.
Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved

There are two strong bases for bringing these to the attention of Christian Recovery Leaders in a simple, fairly brief, concrete form. They are:

1. The Resemblance of effective early A.A. to 1st Century Christianity
All the objective observers (Five Rockefeller people in all; the early Oxford Group Fellowship and Shoemaker; and Dr. Bob’s Christian Fellowship name for Akron) make it clear they felt they were renewing the elements of First Century. This meant Christianity as set forth in Acts 2 and 4. It also meant these Christian elements would produce children of God who were able to walk by the spirit in complete health and recovery from alcoholism.

2. The Elements of Conference-approved literature that fully support those who
wish to believe, use, and practice old school A.A. in today’s recovery fellowships.
The seven-point program and 16 practices of early A.A. embodied a modern-day application of First Century Christianity in the program Bill and Bob developed in the Akron A.A. program of 1935.
If you take those points as well as the 28 Oxford Group principles that Bill and Shoemaker worked out for the 1939 program, you can use A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature to show the original intent of both Akron and the original Big Book to rely on God for recovery.
Also, if possible, to have that happen through a born-again, conversion, and new birth perhaps accompanied by the “vital religious experience” of the type William James, Carl Jung, Rev. Samuel Shoemaker, and Dr. William Silkworth believed would bring about necessary relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The Proposed Four, Brief, Instructive Classes That Will Train 12 Steppers in How to
Learn, Utilize, and Apply Old School A.A. in Today’s 12 Step Fellowships.

1. The biblical origins of Christian recovery that can be found in: (a) Old Testament- “I am the LORD that healeth thee;” (b) Jesus taught the Word
Daily in the Temple; (c) The Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1 and 2); Peter and John healed the lame man in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 3) (d) The Apostles fellowshipped together, brought people to Christ, prayed and heard the Word together, broke bread together, healed, and saved thousands.

2. The Christian conversion and healing successes beginning in the 1850’s with (a) Great evangelists like Moody, Meyer, and Sunday. (b) Young Men’s Christian Association brethren. (c) Jerry McAuley and the Water Street Rescue Mission (d) the Salvation Army whose Begbie book was so popular in early A.A. (e) The Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor which laid out most of the First Century practices that Dr. Bob learned and which became so much a part of the early Akron A.A. (f) The earlier Oxford Group life-changing principles that became embedded in the Big Book and actually sobered up early Oxford Group people.

3. (a) The Christian upbringing of the co-founders Bob and Bill; (b) the way the first
three Christian AAs got sober by simply turning to God; (c) the founding of A.A
(d) The 7 point early Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program,

4. (a) The 16 practices the early Christian AAs  followed, the 75 to 93% success they had.(b) Present-day Conference-approved materials on spiritual (c) experience, finding God, and that “God could and would if he were sought;” and the early Big Book manuscript and stories that make the Christian and biblical origins of the 1939 program explicitly and therefore applicable for those today who want God’s help.

The "Christian Spring" in Christian Recovery for 2012

International Christian Recovery Coalition has planned a "Christian Spring" in Christian Recovery and in the Christian Recovery Movement for 2012.

The Purpose: To bring the roots of Christian recovery to the attention of Christians, Christian leaders, Christian recovery leaders and workers, Christians in recovery, and all who want God's help in conquering alcoholism, addiction, and the disasters which accompany them in society and in individuals. Available to all--whatever their present approach or program.

The Plan:

Geographically, we hope to hold meetings with NAs in Southern Califorenia, with AAs in Southern California, with both in Northern California and with all in Florida.

The New Approaches:

We want folks to know that there is nothing new about the role that God,. His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible have played in helping drunks and addicts. This is a piece of history that should be at the fore of any program that wants to bring recovery. Healing was clear in the Old Testmanet. Healing was clear in the ministry of Jesus. Healing was clear among the First Century Christians. Healing of alcoholics and addicts was widespread and effective in the 1850's among the great evangelists, the rescue missions, the Young Men's Christian Association personal work folks, the Salvation Army, the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, and even the earliest Oxford Group-Shoemaker outreach. It was present among the first three AAs. AND IT WAS CERTAINLY PRESENT IN EARLY AKRON A.A.'S CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP.

If you read Acts Chapters Two and Four, you will see it all centered on DAILY fellowship, prayer, Bible study, healing, conversion, and breaking bread together.

We hope to see leaders rise up in counseling, intervention, treatment, 12 Step fellowships, sober living, Christian recovery fellowships, and among churches and clergy and psychologists. They can put God squarely in the middle of the recovery arena. They can do it now. They can do it in their offices, their programs, their fellowships, their living facilities, their Christian recovery work, and their churrches.

We will have several powerful Christian speakers from across the U.S. who can show you how they are doing this now. We will have some wonderful panels who present the material on radio, TV, and film. We will have some effective, simple, teaching sessions to train the trainers in how First Century Christianity touched recovery in the 1930's and can touch it today.

We will show how, for example, "A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature" can be the strongest tool for showing how 12 Step recovery really began with reliance on God.

You and your fellowship, your group, your program, your efforts, and your churches and conferences can join us right now.

God Bless, Dick B., Executive Director. www.dickb.com; www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com.

Our new, expanded The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4th ed., will soon be ready for those who want an updated approach to all the foregoing.

The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4th ed., Draft Excerpt

The Big Book Message Bill W. Intended for His First Edition

The Evidence We Have Seen

Dick B. and Ken B.

© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved

The Beginning

Robert Thomsen undertook the writing of Bill W.’s biography. And the book began with this Author Note:

Bill W. told his own story many times; he also wrote about it. Possibly because of New England reticence, the emphasis ws always on the second half of his life. He gave few details of his childhood, his youth, or the early years of his marriage. However, it was my privilege—my blessing, if you will—to have known and worked beside Bill during the last twelve years of his life, when he had begun to understand that his biography would be written one day, and he made many attempts in notes, in letters, and on tape recordings “to set the record somewhere near straight.”[1]

Thomsen wrote further:

Ever since his night at Towns, Bill had no argument with God, and the impact of this sudden change had been far more profound than even he understood.[2]

A professional writer would have run from such an assignment, but Bill sat down at his desk in Newark each morning and talked simply, honestly, unashamedly, using the language of religion where it applied. With no hesitation, he described the surrender at Towns Hospital and the miraculous communion he’d sensed with Bob, as well as the tools they’d tried to use in their new life. . . . In no time he had the first two chapters finished and Ruth typed them up.[3]

As chapters were completed, copies were made and passed along for comment by the trustees and members of the group—and everyone had a comment

Fitz [John Henry Fitzhugh M.] felt that since the movement was based on Christian doctrine they should say so flat out.[4]

First was the idea that they should label their steps a Suggested Program of Recovery. Bill called this one a ten strike. They all agreed that no drunk should rebel at a mere suggestion.[5]

Each week, Bill would read what he had written to those who gathered at his home on Tuesday evenings. While he was working his way through the explanatory chapters, New York and Akron members were submitting their personal stories. . . . By the end of January, 1939, the manuscript was ready for preliminary distribution; 400 copies were Multilithed and circulated to members, friends, and other allies for comments and evaluation.[6]

But Fitz was a minister’s son and deeply religious. Fitz fell at once into hot argument with Henry [Parkhurst] about the religious content of the coming volume. Fitz wanted a powerfully religious document. Fitz made trip after trip to New York from his Maryland home to insist on raising the spiritual pitch of the A.A. book.[7]

The pros and cons were mostly about the tone of the book. Some wanted it slanted more toward the Christian religion, others, less.[8]

In New York, the hot debate about the Twelve Steps and the book’s contents was doubled and redoubled. There were conservatives, liberal, and radical viewpoints. Fitz M, the Episcopal minister’s son from Maryland and the second man to recover at Towns Hospital, made constant journeys to New York in order to reinforce the conservative position. Fitz thought that the book ought to be Christian in the doctrinal sense of the word and that it should say so. He was in favor of using Biblical terms and expressions to make this clear. Another early New York A.A., Paul K., was even more emphatic about.[9]

Alcoholics who had tried the missions were forever complaining about this very thing. The alcoholic’s un-reasoning rebellion against the spiritually religious approach had severely handicapped the missions. It was true that we could not agree on a religious basis for our fellowship and that the straight religious approach had worked in relatively few cases.[10]

We were still arguing about the Twelve Steps. All this time I had refused to budge on these steps. I would not change a word of the original draft, in which, you will remember, I had consistently used the word “God,” and in one place the expression “on our knees.”[11]

And What Did Bill’s Original Manuscript Say? There’s the Rub!

“Pass It On” states: “The very first draft of the Twelve Steps, as Bill wrote them, has been lost,” (p. 198). One historian wrote in an endnote: “Here also the original draft has been lost. Insofar as I have been able with the help of NW [Nell Wing, A.A.’s First Archivist] to reconstruct from the earliest available drafts and comments, the original form of the Twelve Steps, there were slight differences in the following six.”[12]

If you were looking for the original draft manuscript in order to find out what Bill had really written in the midst of all this blackout, where would you start?

In 1991.when Dick B. first began researching at Bill’s home at Stepping Stones in Bedford Hills, New York, he arrived there for his two different trips with the blessing and encouragement of A.A. archivist Frank Mauser [Nell Wing’s successor] who even let him stay in his apartment during one of the periods. Dick also had the blessing and encouragement of the then Stepping Stones archivist, Paul Lange, who gave him free range of the materials, even the materials at Bill’s office (Wit’s End). Dick was astonished at the large number of draft materials which had preceded the ultimate Big Book form. These were located in the basement of Lois Wilson’s actual home; and that basement room—with its files, manuscripts, correspondence, and memorabilia—was completely open to Dick on both visits. So were the nearby copy machines in the area that enabled Dick to copy and take with him, with the archivist’s permission, all the materials he listed in writing for the archivist on 10/2/91: (1) Handwritten Pages—Hank Parkhurst ideas for Book. (2) Pages by Bill—Names of people for stories. (3) Outline of Chapters and Chapter 1 – “There is a Solution. (4) 36 pages of Bill’s Original Story—lines numbered, later pages missing. (5) Letters Bill to Lois. (6) Amos 5 page report. (7) Pages Clarace Williams to Bill and Lois Sept/35 (8) Pages T. Henry to Bill 3/37. (9) Pages Dr. Bob to Bill 2/17/38

Here in outline are the items Dick B. found and partial excerpts from them:

(1)   An 11 page hand-written outline of proposed “ideas for the Book, “contents prepared by Hank Parkhurst. Page 3 asked: How do I know this will work with me? Why is this method any better than any other religious method? (It is not—This is only a step toward a religious experience which should be carried forward in Christian fellowship no matter what your church.”

(2)   The typed “Original Story” with hand-written notations and titled “Bill Wilson’s Original Story.” It consists of 36 pages. There is a number for every line. The numbered items run from 1 to 1180, and end there. Among the comments by Bill: (a) Where now was the God of the preachers? (b) “Old memories of Sunday School” (c) The temperance pledge which I never signed. (d) the sound of the preacher’s voice which could be heard on still Sunday mornings. (e) This is what my friend suggested I do: Turn my face to God as I understand Him. I should prepare myself for God’s company. Ask what attitudes and actions I still have whichwere not completely honest wi9th God. Humbly  ask God that he take these handicaps away. I was to keep myself free in the future of those things which shut out God’s power. Frequently asking God for help. Taking a simple childlike attitude toward God.

(3)   The typed “W.G. Wilson Reflections” with handwritten additional portion stating “of his early life to the spiritual awakening.”

(4)   “Main Events – Alcoholics Anonymous Fact Sheet by Bill” On return to New York began to go to more Oxford Group meetings. First work at the Mission and the Towns Hospital very hard. The second success which also occurred at Towns Hospital was John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo. He was author of the classic phrase, “Who am I to say there is no God.” At length Mr. Scott said: This is like first century Christianity, one person carrying the message to the next. I probably got down to serious writing about September 15, 1938. Meanwhile the chapters of the book were sent to Dr. Bob. He never passed them around very much, merely writing me sayng he thought they were all right. I had referred very frequently to God through the Steps. Fitz mayo thought the book didn’t have enough God in it.

(5)   Typed copies of the first two chapters that were written – in reverse order.

Final editing of the book was done by Tom Uzzell, member of the faculty at New York University. Uzzell cut the book by at least a third, some say half—from 800 to 400 pages.[13]

I contacted Bill Pittman, Hazelden’s Director of Historical Information. Bill said he had interviewed Ruth Hock and specifically asked her what had been deleted. Ruth told Bill Pittman that the deleted content consisted largely of Christian and biblical materials.

In a July, 1953 isssue of the AA Grapevine, Bill specifically said that A.A.’s “southern friend” Fitz M. “wanted a fairly religious book infused with some of the dogma we had picked up from the churches and missions which had tried to help us.”

In his biography of Bill Wilson, Francis Hartigan said: “Bill may have included some heavily Christian wording in his early drafts of the Big Book.”[14]

Then still another suggestion that the “original manuscript” appears to have been lost. “Pass It On” states at p-age 235:

On March 16, 1940, a month after the Rockefeller dinner, Works Publishing moved its offices from Newark to 30 Vesey Street in lower Manhattan.  . . . In the move, much was thrown out—including probably the original drafts of the Steps and the rest of the Big Book’s fifth chapter which was written there.

There is a final point about what is known to have been changed in the Big Book manuscript. At Stepping Stones, I found the original Chapter # 1 (which was written in the Spring of 1938). It was titled “There is a Solution.” Beginning on page 9 of the manuscript I found, Bill wrote:

But there is a solution. . . . And the GREAT FACT is just this and no less; that all of us have had deep and effective religious experiences which have in every case revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God’s great universe.

We would like to see you follow suit, for we think no one should miss THE GREAT REALITY which we have been lucky enough to find. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that the Creator of you and me has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is to us new and beautiful and has there has commenced to accomplish those things which by no stretch of the imagination were we humanly capable of.

After years of living on a basis which now seems to us wholly false, you are not going to get rightly related to your Creator in a minute. None of us has found God in six easy lessons, but He can be found by all who are willing to put the task ahead of all else.

[Speaking of Rowland Hazard and Dr. Carl Jung, Bill wrote:] You and I would say that the patient was on a very hot spot that is probably what he did say and feel. So have we when it began to look to us as thought we must have a vital religious experience or perish. Our friend did finally have such an experience and we in our turn have sought the same happy end. . . . What seemed at first to be a flimsy reed has proved to be a loving and powerful hand of God.

With All This Evidence of What Was Originally Written, What was Intentionally Deleted, and the Frequency of Former References to the Creator, to Christianity, and to biblical materials, the reader should ask these questions as to what Bill Wilson originally intended to say

·         What were the Christian and biblical materials that Ruth Hock said were discarded?

·         What was the “dogma” of the churches and missions that had helped AAs that Fitz wanted to have as a part of the book, but which Bill rejected?

·         Why is there no mention of the fact that Rev. Shoemaker had said that man needed to have a vital religious experience; he needed to find God; he needed Jesus Christ; that Bill originally wrote of this necessary “vital religious experience;” and that Bill shifted his language to a “spiritual experience,” then a “spiritual awakening,” and finally to a “personality change.”

·         To what did Fitz refer when he said the program was based on “Christian doctrine?

·         To what language did Hartigan refer when he said Bill may have included some “heavily Christian wording” in some of the earlier drafts.

·         What caused the bogus insertion of “choose your own conception of God” into the alleged, but non-existent remark by Ebby to Bill?

·         What caused Bill to abandon his frequent mention of the Creator and God and shift to

the illusory “higher power” of the New Thought writers like William James and Fox

·         And the bottom line question: Why are all these factual references to first century Christianity, to the contributions of the churches and missions, to the Creator and God, to Christian wording, and Christian and biblical materials simply missing, unknown, and veiled in attempt to exclude them from the minds of 12 Step people today—be they Christians, would be Christians, those with biblical and church backgrounds, those who believe in God—whether they are Christians or not?

---

[1] Robert Thomsen, BILL W.: 50^th Anniversary Edition Commemorating the 1935 Meeting Between Bill W. and Dr. Bob that launched Alcoholics Anonymous  (NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Perrenial Library, 1975)

[2] Robert Thomsen, 255.

[3] Robert Thomsen, 278.

[4] Robert Thomsen, 282.

[5] Robert Thomsen, 284.

[6] “Pass It On,” 200.

[7] Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 17.

[8] Lois Remembers,

[9] Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 162.

[10] Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 163.

[11] Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 166.

[12][12] Ernest Kurtz, Not-God, 275, note 34.

[13] “Pass It On,”

[14] Francis Hartigan, Bill W.: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Co-Founder Bill Wilson (NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2000), 123.

Who Authored Dr. Bob and the Good Oldimers?

In case after case, people play ring around the rosie with A.A. history without ever doing the research necessary and the inspection necessary to get the real answers.

A.A. General Services Conference-approved book DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers was published in 1980 after extensive investigation, some repeat trips, and the not-unusual alteration of meaning by some A.A. editor.

Niles Peebles was engaged to write the biography. Nell Wing phoned Clarence Snyder in Florida and told him that the people in New York simply didn't know the oldtimers and that Clarence did. She asked for his help by sending Niles down to interview him. Niles did so, and on how many other occasions or by what means of communication he gained information from Clarence, I do not know. I do know that Grace Snyder informed me of the foregoing details. I also know that Mitchell K. took almost all of the Clarence Snyder papers from Grace Snyder promising to return them after Mitchell completed the work. Years went by. The papers were never returned to Grace. And I have her affidavit to that effect.
There are several pages in Clarence's handwriting in which he proposed to write such a history; but when DR. BOB finally came out, Clarence was satisfied with the results and wound up passing out free copies to those who attended the spiritual retreats he founded and continued. Would the actual papers in Clarence's possession have added to the story of how DR. BOB was written and to what extent Niles collaborated, I do not know.

I do know that Peebles visited Dr. Bob's son in Nocona, Texas and wishes to interview him on the matter. Smitty asked him if he was going to write anything about his mother (Anne Ripley Smith). Peebles said, "No." Smitty replied that he therefore was not going to tell him a "damn thing." Smitth phoned his sister Sue and asked her to do likewise, which she also promised to do. A long time later, Peebles returned to Smitty, said he would write about Dr. Bob's wife, and an interview was granted.

Now, who else contributed? Dennis Cassidy, a veteran A.A. historian, left me a printer's manuscript of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. It contains the full names of the people interviewed. It contains an inscription indicating it was written by Peebles. But it also contains other written changes indicating that at least Barry Leach was telling Peebles certain things about the draft. I have that manuscript and have very much tried to have it acquired and donated to "The Dr. Bob Core Library" at North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, Vermont--where Bob was born and raised and where he received his extensive biblical training as a youngster.

This valuable piece needs to be acquired and made public. One A.A. veteran had plans to acquire it but has fallen short of the needed funds. And it sits in lingo.

Just as with the "Original" Printer's Manuscript recently published by Hazelden, it may not tell the whole story about Dr. Bob. But it can provide lots of information still being garbled by those writers and historians who have never seen the manuscript, the names, the changes, and how the manuscript  stands in relation to the ultimate book published by A.A. in 1980.

One thing is sure. There are still people trying to answer questions on at least one history site when they don't know the answsers about this book. Thus they imply Peebles got his information in Akron. But the facts--including those above--establish a far different picture.

For those devoted to unearthing and using all the "old school" A.A. program and applying it in A.A. today, there is no better starting place than the important DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers manuscript given to me by Dennis Cassidy--who was also a good friend of Sue Smith Windows, Ray and Ginny G. of Ohio--Ray being the long-time archivist at Dr. Bob's Home, and also Dr. Bob's son Smitty and his wife Betty.

Personal Stories Removed from Big Book Editions Now Published by A.A. Itself

Recently, a devoted A.A. member was reading from the 1st edition of the Big Book at an A.A. meeting. He was silenced by the group which contended he was not reading A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature.

Imagine that, you read from the very first text published by Alcoholics Anonymous, and some trouble-maker in a group says you can't read it because it isn't conference approved.

Often a member is intimidated by such censorship, and even more often he does not realize he is standing on solid ground. But the facts are otherwise.

For example, the First Edition and its personal stories were written and published long before there was a General Service Conference and yet were most assuredly used by AAs to get well at least until 1955 when the Second Edition was published and most of the personal stories were removed.

Fortunately, A.A. itself is awakening to the fact that conference-approved or no, traditions or no, censorship or no, AAs clearly want all of their literature (and much more) available for reference, quotation, and public reading in meetings. How do we know?

A.A. itself has now seen fit to publish all the removed stories and to do so as "conference-approved" literature. Here's the evidence.


(B-20) Experience,  Strength and Hope  

which contains the 56

stories dropped from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions of

the Big Book. These stories, which were unavailable for

a time, are now together in this volume

http://www.aa.org/lang/en/en_pdfs/aacatalog.pdf

Biblical Perspective of 12 Steps - A Product of "Old School" A.A. Tallks

On Monday, January 9, 2012, we were privileged to speak to a "rockin" meeting of The Hiding Place Fellowship in North Hollywood. The huge bingo room of the Cri-Help Facility was packed. We personally met folks from Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymou, and the Christian community who had come to hear our talks on the biblical origins of the Christian Recvovery Movement and a highlight of the exact places in the Bible from which 12 Step concepts emerged.

Mario Zamorano has been leading a book by book Bible study among a growing number of people, both seasoned clean and sober people, but also newcomers, Christians in recovery, and Christian leaders, and others seeking God's help in their recovery efforts.

We just received notice of how this biblical perspective of the 12 Steps has taken off since our kickoff talk. Here is the announcement just being published: And we think others such as the many James Club, Big Book/Bible Study, and A.A. History Study Groups may profitably contact the leaders of The Hiding Place Fellowship for information, suggestions, and useful helps in their Bible roots of A.A. studies.

                         A note from The Hiding Place Fellowship

Please pass this on....................

This Monday we will be back at the Bingo Hall for week two of...A biblical perspective of the 12 steps. We Start at 7:00 pm.

Come hear the 2nd step in its entirety as defined in
the Bible. This will be very informative and can only enhance your
recovery or daily walk!

For more info or if you need transportation please call  562) 266-3024.

Hope to see you there.

God bless. 

A Great A.A. History Find for 2012 - Another Witness to Bill's Conversion

The greatest historical treasure we have discovered as to A.A. History and 2012 just came to light.

During our January, 2012 series of talks, visits and personal meetings in Southern California, we spent precious time with Pastor Frank Geoy, Jr. on the subject of Bill Wilson's acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at the altar at Calvary Mission in New York in early December, 1935.

Now we have more confirming details.

Recall the series of events that preceded Bill's answsering the altar call at Calvary Mission.

First, Dr. William D. Silkworth had told Bill that if he didn't quit drinking, he would die or go insane. But he also told Biill that the Great Physician Jesus Christ could cure him of his alcoholism. The details are covered and documented in Bill's autobiography ("Bill W., M y First 40 Years), and in Dale Mitchel's biography of Dr. Silkwortth. Both recenttly published by Hazelden.

Then came Ebby Thacher. Ebby had long been a drunken friend of Bill's. But Ebby had been to the altar at Calvary Mission just before his famous visit with Bill in Bill's home. Ebby told Bill he had been staying at CalvalryMission, had "got religion," had been to the altar and gave his life to Christ; and Bill could not only see that Ebby was sober, but also born again.

Bill then went to Shoemaker's church to hear Ebby''s testimony and be sure Ebby wes telling it straight. This convinced Bill that maybe the Great Physician could help him too if he went to the Mission and did as Ebby had done.

Bill then went to Calvary Mission. The services included testimony, the phrase "Jesus Saves," and Bible reading and prayer by the leaders. Then came the altar call. And Bill went forward and knelt in prayer.

We just learned of another witness to Bill's ensuing acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. First, Mrs. Samuel M. Shoemaker told me on the phone that she was present when Bill made his decision for Jesus Christ, Second, years later, in a speech by Lois Wilson, recorded in Texas, Bill's wife said that Bill had really and with all sincereity handed his life over to Jesus Christ. To cap it off, Bill wrote in his own biography "For sure I'd been born again." He also wrote his brother in law that he had "got religion."

Then came the delightful surprise we had in our interview with Pastor Frank. Frank told us that Ben Armstrong (President of the National Religious Broadcasters for 22 years) had been an intern of Sam Shoemaker's at Calvary Church. Ben Armstrong declared that he was present when Bill accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at Calvary Mission

To cap it off, A.A.'s General Services Conference-approved 4th edition of the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous states in Bill's own words on page 191: " Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me curing me of this terrible disease that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people."


And now we know the fact of Bill's new birth at Calvary Mission in New York--confirmed by Rev. Samuel Shoemaker's wife (Shoemaker being Rector ov Calvary Church), Bill's wife Lolis, and Ben Armstrong of National Religious Broadcasters

January 18, 2012, Dick B., Writer, Historian, Retired attorney, Bible student and an active recovered A.A. member with over 25 years of continuous sobriety. Author of 42 books and over 800 articles on A.A. History.

See www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml

A Great Close to Our Southern California Meetings

A Great Close to Our Southern California Meetings




Dick B.

© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved



Ken and I are back in Maui and excited over the many meetings we had in Southern California from LAX, Redondo Beach, North Hollywood, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Santa Ana, to three hotels – Best Western, Wyndham, and Marriott in the area. The trip was made possible by air fare contribution of Christian friend Freda M.; hotel contribution of David Powers of Rock Recovery Ministries and Soledad House in San Diego; help with trip expenses from Dr. Bernstein’s Cri-Help in North Hollywood and it’s the Hiding Place Bible study group led by Mario Zamorano; and transportation to and fro by Christian friend Freda M., Danny Simmons of Sons of Thunder, Gary Martin of Mariners Church, Tim and Kelli White of Ex-Cons for Christ, Recovered Christian believer Danny Whitmore and his lovely wife Cate, Chuck and Gary, both of NA, and Chaplain Gene Haag of Oregon—Gene about to celebrate his 50th NA birthday/



The last days of the trip saw the firming up of our large Conference in the Disneyland Area in May (thanks to Pastor Jerry Liversage), a large conference in Florida in May and/or November (thanks to efforts of Russell Spatz, Miami attorney), and strong support for International Christian Recovery Coalition’s two additional efforts: (1) Our new ChristianRecoveryRadio.com (thanks to Nikole Wood) (2) Training the Trainers in Applying Old School A.A. Today (thanks to Gary Martin of Mariners Church, Pastor Joe Furey of His Place Church, Pastor Frank McGeoy, Jr. of Irvine, Roger McDiarmid of our Speakers Bureau, and Tim and Kelli White of Ex-Cons for Christ.



We attended meetings where we received warm, supportive input from Director of Recovery L.V. Hanson (Mariners Church, Irvine); attorney Brian Casserly, Member of Mariners Church; and Cole Beshore, M.A., Community Pastor, Mariners Church. And from long-time friend Dale Ryan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Recovery Ministry and Director of the Institute for Recovery Ministry, School of Theology, Fuller Seminary.



Rob Wolf, long-time recovered Christian believer flew in from Utah to meet with us regarding his possible role in our work. We met with Terry LaDow, MS, BCPCC, CADC II, New Perspectives; and the panelists and producers of the community access television program—Pastor Jerry Liversage, Pastor and Founder Mike Belzman, Ph.D., Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors, Institute; Robert Tucker, Ph.D., President of New Life Spirit Recovery, Inc., at Huntington Beach, Ken, myself, and the producing squad led by Randy Liversage.



It was a heavy, wonderful, and fruitful trip and certainly a major part of the mighty rushing wind of the Christian Recovery Movement now in progress and recognizing the role that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible have long played in the origins, history, founding, original Christian Fellowship program of A.A. in Akron, and its successes. And can play today.



And Now for the Many Who Became Participants of International Christian Recovery Coalition in Just the Last ten days

Welcome to each of the following participants who are now listed as participants in the International Christian Recovery Coalition:



Terry LaDow, MS, BCPCC, CADC II

New Perspectives

714.731.6617

Teach2think@gmail.com



Rob Wolf, of Utah

rwolf@ibnads.com

Cell: 1-801-671-0663



Mike Stiles, Producer, Public Access Television, Southern California Region, (714) 533-0181



Randy Liversage, Producer/Director, Transformed Productions, (714) 393-5493, Email: rjliversage@aol.com”



Pastor Frank J. McGeoy, Jr., Gracious Giver Church, 12 Step Recovery Church, 1053 Granville Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660, Cell: (949) 689-4593, Email: FrankMcGeoy@att.net – who also provides a large sober living facility.



Chaplain Gene J. Haag, Oregon Department of Corrections, Connecting Point Ministries, 700 Nobility Drive, Medford, OR 97501, Ofc.: (541) 773-1985; Cell: (541) 951-3200, Email: gjhaag@hotmail.com



Wm. (Gary) Martin, Recovered believer, Awesome Bail Bonds, www.AwesomeBailBonds.com, Bail by phone, Office: (888) 877-BAIL (2245), Cell: (949) 872-6504, Insurance License 1841543



Larry McClintick EMC USN (ret), long recovered believer,850 W.Country Lane,Collinsville,IL 62234,618-344-7907; juanita@mcclintick.org





God Bless, Dick B., dickb@dickb.com; www.dickb.com; January 15, 2012

Contacting Dick B. and Ken B. During Southern California Meetings

Contacting Dick B. and Ken B.

During Their Forthcoming Visit to Southern California

January 4^th through January 14^th, 2012

First, you can reach us through Ken’s cellular 808 276 4945; kcb00799@gmail.com

Second, here are the areas where we will be:

            Best Western near Torrance – late Jan 4^th, Jan 5^th, and till noon Jan 6^th

Periodic meetings and Friday evening dinner meeting with Freda M. et al. in Torrance, CA Area

Marriott Hotel, Costa Mesa – Friday evening Jan 6^th, Saturday Jan 7^th, Sunday Jan 8^th, check out on Monday, January 9^th.

Saturday: All day in Santa Ana and speaking, at the Winter 2012 Ministry Builders Conference, 9:00 AM., Saturday, January7th, Faith Community Church, 2147 Oak Street, Santa Ana, CA 92707.  Details: ACADC.org.

Wyndham Hotel, Costa Mesa – Monday Jan 9^th and checking out Fri Noon Jan 13^th

Monday:

Speaking at The Hiding Place dinner and meeting, at Cri-Help Bingo Hall, 8330 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood, CA 91605.

Monday evening Jan 9^th  [Dinner 5:30 – 6:30 P.M. free]; Worship and Speaker begin at 7:00 PM. Contact Phone # 562 266 3024.

Tuesday:

Meeting with Dan Stoner at 10:00 AM.

Meeting with Nikole Wood at 1:00 PM.

Thursday:

TV filming with Responding Ministries with Rev. Jerry Liversage, Costa Mesa, Thursday, Jan 12^th most of the day.

Marriott Hotel, Costa Mesa, Friday afternoon Jan 13^th through 3:00 PMnoon Jan 14^th. Departing LAX, Saturday, Jan 14^th,  5:05 PM

            Available to meet on Saturday up to 2:00 PM

Third, we are already arranging meetings with leaders at Torrance, Thursday and Friday, January 5th and 6th

With Speakers and Leaders at Santa Ana all day Saturday, Jan 7^th

With

Mario Zamorano – as possible, and at The Hiding Place Meeting Monday Evening Jan 9^th

With Jerry Liversage – at Responding Recovery filming – most of Thursday, Jan 12^th.

Fourth, still endeavoring to arrange meetings with the following:

            Mario Zamorano

            Dr. Robert Tucker

            Bob Noonan

            Roger Mc Diarmid and Pastor Joe Furey

            Dr. Mike Belzman

            Dr. Jens Christy

            Dr. John Townsend

            Pastor Randy Moraitis

            Tim and Kelli White of excons

            Rev. John Baker and his son

            Nikole Wood

            David Roman

            Rev. David Stoop

            Steve Arterburn

            Bobby Nicholl

Others who would like to help with International Christian Recovery Coalition Conferences in May, with interviews and outreach, and with recovery projects.

Gloria Deo

Dick B. and Ken B. Available in Southern CA Jan 5 to 14

 

Richard G Burns

 ick B. and Ken B. will be in Orange County, California from January 5 to 14th speaking at meetings and also spending time with individual leaders and workers.
Contact dickb@dickb.com if you'd like info on where and how to hook up. Dick B.
www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com

International Christian Recovery Coalition

www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com

International Christian Recovery Coalition: An informal fellowship of Christian Leaders and Workers in the recovery arena

· · Share · a few seconds ago near Kihei

• 

  Write a comment...