Meeting Profiles: ‘Topics, Lead, Discussion,’ Wednesday 2 pm Online
The CMA Online Wednesday 2 pm “Topics, Lead and Discussion” meeting was born from a pre-pandemic meeting of the same name. Before COVID, a beloved afternoon meeting took form over a few years. Well-attended, it met at a rehab facility at 2 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and eventually moved to New Town Alano Club. Chaired by different members of the fellowship and featured the chair reading from recovery literature followed by a short lead, often inspiring dynamic leads and emotional shares.
When the pandemic hit, a small group of fellows quickly created weekday online meetings in those same 2 pm Central time slots; and the newly elected chair for the Wednesday online suggested keeping the same format as the in-person version, with one change—to add a speaker every other week to provide a variety of topics. This was the format at the beginning of the Wednesday 2 pm online meeting which continues today.
The meeting currently carries with it the character of the Host (or Chair). As the Host changes every thee months, so does the character of the meeting. Recently we elected a Host living in Lebanon, resulting in speakers and attendees joining us from all over the world. That international influence makes for some very dynamic meetings. Prior to that, we had a Host from Los Angeles which brought a very distinct California vibe to the leads and shares.
The meeting has fostered a core group of attendees with a wide variety of locations and experiences—fellows from newly sober up to those with decades of sobriety living in locations from Canada and Chicago to Ireland and, well, Lebanon.
The format starts with everyone introducing themselves with sobriety time and location—just like the live meeting that inspired it. We quickly move through a selection of readings bringing us to the speaker. The Host does the lead based on a reading on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of the month. An invited speaker does the lead on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. We continue with shares from the attendees and then close. There are lots of emotional moments alongside periods of laughter. The Zoom meeting room remains open afterward for fellowship and questions from those in attendance.
We invite you to experience this meeting every Wednesday at 2 pm Central time. The Meeting ID is 925 725 2525. Please join us.
This Meeting Profiles series highlights the nearly two dozen CMA Chicago meetings recognized by Intergroup, the organization which supports Crystal Meth Anonymous meetings throughout Illinois.
