AA Groups have come and gone in Bosque County, Texas, with few having lasting success. The Bosque Valley Group in Clifton survived nearly 20 years before closing. The Laguna Park Group, which existed in a variety of forms for many years, folded in 2006 (The group reformed in 2012, and meets Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. in Our Lady of the Lake Episcopal Church on Hwy. 22 in Laguna Park), and the Morgan Group, after about a year in existence, closed.
After a two-year original run, “Sobriety in the Sticks,” a group near Valley Mills, re-opened in 2006, but closed again a few months later. Even a previous group here in Meridian closed several years ago due to a variety of reasons.
A once-a-month campfire meeting in Walnut Springs was a unique experience that only lasted about a half-a-year in 2006, although it rose briefly from the flames before once again being extinguished.
But the Meridian Group has become something of an anomaly. A handful of members wanting a meeting closer to the center of the county kicked off the new group at the First United Methodist Church of Meridian. According to information filed with the General Service Office’s archives — dated October 27, 2003 — we started with seven dedicated members meeting on Wednesday nights, and we added a Monday night meeting a short time later. Our group has since shown a slow and steady growth. That dedication has paid off, as our 8 p.m. meetings often consist of 15 to 20 alcoholics, sometimes much more, seeking the program of recovery.
As the group continued to grow, we added a third meeting, at 11 a.m. Saturdays, in September 2004. That meeting continued to grow as well, and often boasted attendance in double-digits at one time.
And the expansion continued in 2008 as we added a 6 p.m. Friday “Grapevine” meeting, and then added a 12 noon meeting on Thursday, giving us five meetings each week.
Still, nothing is forever, and we may have grown a bit too fast, as our attendance began to level off, split between five meetings. In 2011 we found it necessary to close the Friday and Saturday meetings. Still, attendance is good at the 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday meetings, as well as the Thursday gatherings, with the start time changed to 12:15 p.m.
One thing you can’t accuse us of is “letting the grass grow under our feet.” We met upstairs at the Methodist Church from our inception until March 2007, a little less than 3½ years. While the church was very gracious to us, as we continued to grow, it became apparent we were meeting in a “room,” and that we wanted a “home.”
In early March of 2007, we thought we had found that home - the Meridian Community Center. Several members toured the building, which included a kitchen. We spoke to officials with the City of Meridian, which owned the building, and in mid-March 2007, we moved in.
What we did not know was that while the building was owned by the city, it was operated by the local housing authority, which was less than thrilled that we had moved in. A few months later we were told the building was going to be painted, and we needed to get our stuff out “now.” We were told they were not sure when or if we could move back in.
So, we moved out on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, temporarily storing our stuff at the home of a member. We had absolutely no idea where we would relocate. While our members did the footwork to find a new site, we ultimately left it in God’s hands.
Just two days later, the officials at First Community Bank Central Texas in Meridian generously offered a large portion of the former HealthKicks facility to use as we saw fit. The building is located at 206 West Morgan Street (Hwy. 22), just west of the bank and a block west of the Courthouse.
We held an emergency group conscience that night and accepted the offer. We had found a wonderful new home. Two nights later, our members met to set up our new home, and an hour later, we held our first real meeting there. We truly believed we had found a home where God intended us to be.
But as the old saying goes, “People make plans and God laughs.” While we originally shared the utilities with another occupant, we soon found ourselves responsible for all of the bills, which added up to more in one month than we collected in several months. We had to find yet another new home, and fast.
It took some searching, but we finally found yet another new home, located at 116-B Main Street (Hwy. 144) in downtown Meridian. The landlord is great, but unfortunately there is a rather steep set of stairs to climb, so our group is no longer handicapped accessible. Still, we hung our banners, put out our literature and coffee pots, and in February 2008 began meeting in our latest home.
But as they say, all things must pass, and gain we found ourselves having to move. This time, however, we found a place on the ground floor which is handicapped accessible! As of Sept. 3, 2012, we are meeting in the Old Elementary School building, located at 201 North 2nd Street.
Some might call us nomads, but wherever our happy wanderers end up, it’s always home to us.
Our group is active in many aspects of AA life. We have an active General Service Representative who regularly attends district and area meetings, and a former GSR was previously named the NETA Dist. 92 District Committee Member, as was another member. Another member served a two-year term as the North East Texas Area 65 Cooperation with the Professional Community Chairman.
A “sister group,” the Lake Whitney Group, has become active in service again, and our NETA 65 District 92 is seeing a renewal, with district meetings on a regular basis. Lake Whitney now has not only a GSR and an alternate, but our District Committee Member comes from there as well.
The women in the group have been taking meetings to the prisons for some time now. The men and women both have tried to take weekly meetings to the county jail on a regular basis, but those efforts unfortunately have not paid off.
While being self-supporting through our own contributions, members of our group are also proud that we regularly send donations to GSO, District, and Area. Currently, a group member is our district’s Alternate DCM.
Our group has an active Central Texas Intergroup (Waco) Representative and Alternate, and a member of the Meridian Group was named the Intergroup Newsletter editor in March 2011.
We also have an extensive website, that includes information about our group, general AA information, community outreach programs, links to important AA and AA-related websites, photos (anonymity protected), speaker downloads, a guestbook, and much more. The website is located at meridiangroup.synthasite.com.
At our group, you’ll find that The 12 Steps are not just a banner hanging on the wall… they are a way of life. Sponsorship is also one of the areas of the program our group strongly advocates. A statement on sponsorship is read at each meeting, and those willing to serve as sponsors are identified.
Something else you’ll probably notice about our group is that the meetings are never just limited to meeting times. Show up a half-hour or so before meeting time and you’ll usually see our members already starting to gather outside, whether the doors are open yet or not.
And when the meeting is done, it isn’t uncommon to see other groups gathering outside. In fact, some of these little groups often are still hanging around a half-hour or more after the meeting, sharing our experience, strength, and hope. So, if you’re so inclined, you can get at least three meetings for the price of one at the Meridian Group — the meeting before the meeting, the meeting itself, and the meeting after the meeting.
A word of warning about our group — if you’re skittish about getting “AA Hugs,” you may want to re-think coming to Meridian. At our group we can guarantee you’ll leave with your share before the meeting is through.
What our group is probably most proud of, though, is that we are more than just a group — we are a family. We are sponsors and sponsees, friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters, strangers who don’t remain strangers for long. We truly care about everyone who walks into our group, and we strive to show it — not just to the newcomer, but to everyone.
We walk this journey together along the path of life on life’s terms - through gladness and sadness, prosperity and adversity, through life and death. We try to walk this walk together, on a daily basis.
We invite you to come visit us, “The Branch Meridians,” as we have humorously nicknamed our group. It’s even part of our group’s logo. Maybe you’ll find a new home group at the Meridian Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, and join the members of “The Branch Meridian” as we continue to trudge the road of happy destiny!
After a two-year original run, “Sobriety in the Sticks,” a group near Valley Mills, re-opened in 2006, but closed again a few months later. Even a previous group here in Meridian closed several years ago due to a variety of reasons.
A once-a-month campfire meeting in Walnut Springs was a unique experience that only lasted about a half-a-year in 2006, although it rose briefly from the flames before once again being extinguished.
But the Meridian Group has become something of an anomaly. A handful of members wanting a meeting closer to the center of the county kicked off the new group at the First United Methodist Church of Meridian. According to information filed with the General Service Office’s archives — dated October 27, 2003 — we started with seven dedicated members meeting on Wednesday nights, and we added a Monday night meeting a short time later. Our group has since shown a slow and steady growth. That dedication has paid off, as our 8 p.m. meetings often consist of 15 to 20 alcoholics, sometimes much more, seeking the program of recovery.
As the group continued to grow, we added a third meeting, at 11 a.m. Saturdays, in September 2004. That meeting continued to grow as well, and often boasted attendance in double-digits at one time.
And the expansion continued in 2008 as we added a 6 p.m. Friday “Grapevine” meeting, and then added a 12 noon meeting on Thursday, giving us five meetings each week.
Still, nothing is forever, and we may have grown a bit too fast, as our attendance began to level off, split between five meetings. In 2011 we found it necessary to close the Friday and Saturday meetings. Still, attendance is good at the 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday meetings, as well as the Thursday gatherings, with the start time changed to 12:15 p.m.
“The Happy Wanderers”
One thing you can’t accuse us of is “letting the grass grow under our feet.” We met upstairs at the Methodist Church from our inception until March 2007, a little less than 3½ years. While the church was very gracious to us, as we continued to grow, it became apparent we were meeting in a “room,” and that we wanted a “home.”
In early March of 2007, we thought we had found that home - the Meridian Community Center. Several members toured the building, which included a kitchen. We spoke to officials with the City of Meridian, which owned the building, and in mid-March 2007, we moved in.
What we did not know was that while the building was owned by the city, it was operated by the local housing authority, which was less than thrilled that we had moved in. A few months later we were told the building was going to be painted, and we needed to get our stuff out “now.” We were told they were not sure when or if we could move back in.
So, we moved out on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, temporarily storing our stuff at the home of a member. We had absolutely no idea where we would relocate. While our members did the footwork to find a new site, we ultimately left it in God’s hands.
Just two days later, the officials at First Community Bank Central Texas in Meridian generously offered a large portion of the former HealthKicks facility to use as we saw fit. The building is located at 206 West Morgan Street (Hwy. 22), just west of the bank and a block west of the Courthouse.
We held an emergency group conscience that night and accepted the offer. We had found a wonderful new home. Two nights later, our members met to set up our new home, and an hour later, we held our first real meeting there. We truly believed we had found a home where God intended us to be.
But as the old saying goes, “People make plans and God laughs.” While we originally shared the utilities with another occupant, we soon found ourselves responsible for all of the bills, which added up to more in one month than we collected in several months. We had to find yet another new home, and fast.
It took some searching, but we finally found yet another new home, located at 116-B Main Street (Hwy. 144) in downtown Meridian. The landlord is great, but unfortunately there is a rather steep set of stairs to climb, so our group is no longer handicapped accessible. Still, we hung our banners, put out our literature and coffee pots, and in February 2008 began meeting in our latest home.
But as they say, all things must pass, and gain we found ourselves having to move. This time, however, we found a place on the ground floor which is handicapped accessible! As of Sept. 3, 2012, we are meeting in the Old Elementary School building, located at 201 North 2nd Street.
Some might call us nomads, but wherever our happy wanderers end up, it’s always home to us.
“Who We Are, What We Do”
Our group is active in many aspects of AA life. We have an active General Service Representative who regularly attends district and area meetings, and a former GSR was previously named the NETA Dist. 92 District Committee Member, as was another member. Another member served a two-year term as the North East Texas Area 65 Cooperation with the Professional Community Chairman.
A “sister group,” the Lake Whitney Group, has become active in service again, and our NETA 65 District 92 is seeing a renewal, with district meetings on a regular basis. Lake Whitney now has not only a GSR and an alternate, but our District Committee Member comes from there as well.
The women in the group have been taking meetings to the prisons for some time now. The men and women both have tried to take weekly meetings to the county jail on a regular basis, but those efforts unfortunately have not paid off.
While being self-supporting through our own contributions, members of our group are also proud that we regularly send donations to GSO, District, and Area. Currently, a group member is our district’s Alternate DCM.
Our group has an active Central Texas Intergroup (Waco) Representative and Alternate, and a member of the Meridian Group was named the Intergroup Newsletter editor in March 2011.
We also have an extensive website, that includes information about our group, general AA information, community outreach programs, links to important AA and AA-related websites, photos (anonymity protected), speaker downloads, a guestbook, and much more. The website is located at meridiangroup.synthasite.com.
At our group, you’ll find that The 12 Steps are not just a banner hanging on the wall… they are a way of life. Sponsorship is also one of the areas of the program our group strongly advocates. A statement on sponsorship is read at each meeting, and those willing to serve as sponsors are identified.
Something else you’ll probably notice about our group is that the meetings are never just limited to meeting times. Show up a half-hour or so before meeting time and you’ll usually see our members already starting to gather outside, whether the doors are open yet or not.
And when the meeting is done, it isn’t uncommon to see other groups gathering outside. In fact, some of these little groups often are still hanging around a half-hour or more after the meeting, sharing our experience, strength, and hope. So, if you’re so inclined, you can get at least three meetings for the price of one at the Meridian Group — the meeting before the meeting, the meeting itself, and the meeting after the meeting.
A word of warning about our group — if you’re skittish about getting “AA Hugs,” you may want to re-think coming to Meridian. At our group we can guarantee you’ll leave with your share before the meeting is through.
What our group is probably most proud of, though, is that we are more than just a group — we are a family. We are sponsors and sponsees, friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters, strangers who don’t remain strangers for long. We truly care about everyone who walks into our group, and we strive to show it — not just to the newcomer, but to everyone.
We walk this journey together along the path of life on life’s terms - through gladness and sadness, prosperity and adversity, through life and death. We try to walk this walk together, on a daily basis.
We invite you to come visit us, “The Branch Meridians,” as we have humorously nicknamed our group. It’s even part of our group’s logo. Maybe you’ll find a new home group at the Meridian Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, and join the members of “The Branch Meridian” as we continue to trudge the road of happy destiny!
— Revised August 2012
