Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Thanks and Request for Agape Circle Contributions


The Agape Circle

Sponsoring ChristianRecoveryRadio.com

Help is On Its Way



The following Christian Recovery Leaders and Organizations have already become members of the Agape Circle and are helping sponsor ChristianRecoveryRadio.com



Golden Hills Community Church in Brentwood, California



Cornerstone Church in Livermore, California



John J. Mooney, M.D., Massachusetts



Chris P., Recovered With Life, Toronto, Canada



Ex-Cons for Christ, Tim & Kelli White, San Bernardino, California



Father Bill W., Episcopal Diocese of Texas Recovery Committee, Round Rock, Texas



Carl (Tuchy) Palmieri, Healing-Habits, Bridgeport, Connecticut



Anonymous, Sandy, Utah



Lawrence A. Appley Foundation, via its President, Ronald Glosser, Akron, Ohio



Bill Boyles, Won Way Out, Wyoming, Delaware

________________________________________________________________



Background Reasons for Asking Your Help



An event of great significance occurred recently with regard to our work of unearthing, collating, reporting, and disseminating the history of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Christian Recovery Movement. And then in our establishing and enlarging ChristianRecoveryRadio.com



We devoted twenty-two years to travel, interviews, examination of books and records, visits to archives, acquisition of massive historical documents and books, and then analyzing them and reporting them—one by one—as the truth appeared.



The cost was quite large. It would have been far beyond my reach, resources, and retirement income financially. It involved the cost of printing more than 125 titles, counting reprints and subsequent revisions; the cost of storing about 14,000 books year after year, and then shipping them. It involved the large cost of our traveling with attendant air fare, transportation, meals, lodging, and incidentals. It involved the expenditure of immense amount of time and effort by my son Ken B. and even many others. And, of course, it involved acquisition, maintenance, and replacement of office equipment, supplies, and incidentals. Finally, one of the most productive, yet expensive aspects was traveling to, staying over a week or so, and speaking at or meeting with scores of AAs, NAs, treatment people, historical notables, historians, curators, clergy, physicians, and large numbers of Christian recovery leaders, workers, newcomers, and the concerned public.



For the past six months, we have worked hard to scale back all the typical past expenses of books, travel, printing, computers, storage, internet presentations, conferences, and meetings. Our books are now print-on-demand which means neither printing 5000 books at a time, cross-shipping, them, and storing them. And now, slowly but surely, our books are being published in electronic form.



In doing so, we have made known to a growing body of churches, clergy, recovery pastors, care pastors, Christian recovery leaders, benefactors, and others our plan to continue our work of making the application of time-honored Christian recovery tools available to a host of people and institutions in the recovery arena, including those who want God’s help, and may be receptive to Christian fellowship of the kind manifested in First Century Christianity, the early Akron A.A. Christian fellowship, and in the hearts and minds of hungry recovered, recovering, and new alcoholics and addicts and those with life-controlling problems.



The need for continuing, expanding, and widely distributing materials exists because of the secularization of our society and our recovery fellowships, programs, and movements. It exists because of the dearth of information today about the effectiveness of Christian recovery organizations, leaders, and societies long before and at the founding of the modern-day Twelve Step and Anonymous groups. And it exists because of the incredible lack of knowledge that those who treat, those who counsel, those who speak about, those who lead, those who sponsor, those who serve, and those who are new to recovery from the ravages of alcoholism and addiction.



We also believe, from the trends and topics of the times, that a new approach is long overdue in order to accomplish our mission. Thus there is a greater need among us as volunteers for low costs, eliminating storage and shipping and printing expenses, using the tools of the time—Videos, audios, radio, radio programs, YouTube, forums, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, social media, newsletters---and making most of the material free for the user to hear, view, obtain, organize, lead, and use.



The Plan for the Agape Circle



Ten organizations and individuals have now become part of the Agape Circle



Several churches and individuals have already recognized the modest need and are contributing $50.00 per month each to Dick B. to support the continued research, writing, expansion, counsel, and growth of the application of old school A.A. and its Christian principles and practices in Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Step programs, and recovery work today.



For large cost items, including those for conferences, major publishing expenses, and travel, several have joined on this basis. And we still invite and do receive tax deductible donations that enable the remaining and much more costly work. And we still define the needs and invite those gifts.



But for the day in day out work right here on Maui, our dream is to have a circle—an “Agape Circle”—of at least twenty Christian churches or recovery groups and leaders who will graciously provide a monthly stipend payable to Dick B. in amount of $50.00 each month.



We now have ten, and we invite you to join them. As stated, several are doing, or are about to do, just that. We believe the $50.00 monthly amount is reasonable. We have specific plans to live within the circle contributions. And we will deeply appreciate your becoming part of the circle with your church or recovery program, or Christian fellowship.



The answer desired?



Yes, Dick!



Our group will help your work by sending to Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753 a donation of $50.00 per month as our contribution to the Agape Circle.



Name:______________________________________________________________________



Address:____________________________________________________________________



Phone and email:______________________________________________________________



Amount we will send each month: $  ______________________________________________



Please send contributions by paypal on our main website www.dickb.com; or use your credit card by phone to 808 874 4876; or send your check or money order to Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837



Gloria Deo

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