OA BYLAWS Subpart B

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Article VI — Service Bodies

Service bodies are formed to support the groups in matters the group cannot accomplish on their own.

There shall be five types of service bodies to provide services beyond the group level. Service bodies provide support and representation of the groups and intergroups from which they are formed and act as guardians of the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service.

Service Bodies

  1. Intergroups
  2. National Service Bodies
  3. Language Service Bodies
  4. Specific Focus Service Bodies
  5. Regions

Section 1 – Composition

  1. Intergroups are composed of two or more groups that have formed a service body for the purpose of supporting and representing these groups that are affiliated with it. Each state/province/country may have at least one service body (intergroup or national service body). In a state/province/country having only one group, that group may function as an intergroup.
  2. National service bodies are composed of groups and intergroups who share a common purpose; to deal with issues that require a combination of membership and financial resources of intergroups and groups established within a single country.
  3. Language service bodies are composed of groups, intergroups, and national service bodies to serve the common needs of a language group, regardless of geographic proximity.
  4. Specific focus service bodies are composed of two or more groups or intergroups to serve the common needs of groups and intergroups with the same specific focus, regardless of geographic proximity.
  5. There shall be ten regions: one virtual region and nine geographic regions each composed of intergroups, groups, and national/language/specific focus service bodies that fall within its region. Subject to region and Board of Trustees approval, language service boards that span more than one region may choose to affiliate with any single region or choose not to be affiliated with a region.
    1. Region No. 1 shall be the Pacific Northwest Region composed of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
    2. Region No. 2 shall be the Pacific Southwest Region composed of California, Hawaii, Reno/Tahoe area of Nevada, and Mexico.
    3. Region No. 3 shall be the Southwest Region composed of Arizona, Colorado, Central and West Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah.
    4. Region No. 4 was dissolved/disbanded in July 2024 and ratified at World Service Business Conference 2025.
    5. Region No. 5 shall be the Central Region composed of the East Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri (except Greater Ozarks Intergroup), North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
    6. Region No. 6 shall be the Northeast Region composed of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Bermuda.
    7. Region No. 7 shall be the Eastern Region composed of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
    8. Region No. 8 shall be the Southeast Region composed of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Greater Ozarks Intergroup, the US Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Islands, Central America, and South America.
    9. Region No. 9 shall be composed of countries and territories in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Western Asia, including all of Russia.
    10. Region No. 10 shall be composed of countries and territories in Australia, East Asia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific Basin.
    11. Virtual Region is nongeographic and is primarily composed of virtual groups and virtual intergroups.

Should states/provinces/territories/countries within a region, or service bodies within a state/province/territory/country wish to transfer to a region that is more convenient, the body notifies its current region, the region it would like to join, and the Board of Trustees of its desire to transfer. The Board of Trustees then submits a motion to World Service Business Conference to amend Subpart B, Article VI, Section 1e of the bylaws.

Section 2 – Registration

  • Each service body shall be duly registered with the World Service Office of Overeaters Anonymous by submitting:
    1. a completed registration form;
    2. bylaws and/or a summary of its purpose and operating procedures, neither of which shall be in conflict with OA, Inc. Bylaws. At a minimum, such bylaws or summary of purpose shall include a statement indicating that its primary purpose is to aid those having problems with compulsive eating through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, guided by the Twelve Concepts of OA Service, and to serve and represent the OA groups from which it is formed; and
    3. complete registration information on:
      1. intergroups – each affiliated group;
      2. national service bodies – each affiliated intergroup and group;
      3. language service bodies – each participating group, intergroup, and national service body; and
      4. specific focus service bodies – each participating group and intergroup.
  • Each service body shall submit a copy of its bylaws and/or summary of purpose to the World Service Office whenever either is updated or revised.
  • Each service body shall evaluate its bylaws upon receipt of notification from the World Service Office of amendments to OA, Inc. Bylaws adopted at the World Service Business Conference to ensure that their bylaws do not conflict with OA, Inc. Bylaws. Notices shall be deemed to have been given if sent by electronic transmission to the registered contact for each service body. Any updated bylaws shall be submitted to the World Service Office pursuant to OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article VI, Section 2a) 2 above.

Section 3 – Affiliation and Participation

Purpose of Affiliation: To facilitate the count of the groups and service bodies of the Fellowship and to encourage the flow of support and information to all.

Purpose of Participation: To facilitate the support and the flow of information within groups and service bodies that have a common need.

For the purpose of registration and World Service Business Conference representation:

  1. An intergroup may affiliate with one national service body if it exists, shall be affiliated with one region, and may participate in one or more language service bodies. If the intergroup affiliates with a national service body, that intergroup may choose to affiliate with the national service body’s region or choose to remain in the currently assigned region.
  2. A national service body is affiliated with the region where their nation exists and may participate in one or more language service bodies.
  3. A language service body may affiliate with one region. When the language service body spans more than one region, it may choose which region to affiliate with. Should a language service body choose to not affiliate with a region, the Board of Trustees chair shall assign a trustee to serve as liaison to that language service body. The service bodies, and groups acting as service bodies, that participate in a language service body retain their original affiliation.
  4. A specific focus service body may affiliate with one region. When the specific focus service body spans more than one region, it may choose which region to affiliate with. Should a specific focus service body choose to not affiliate with a region, the Board of Trustees chair shall assign a trustee to serve as liaison to that specific focus service body. The groups that participate in a specific focus service board retain their original affiliation.

A group may choose to affiliate with an intergroup. The group shall be affiliated with the intergroup’s region.

Should a group choose not to affiliate with an intergroup, but affiliates with a national service body, that group shall be affiliated with that national service body’s region.

Groups that choose not to affiliate with an intergroup or a national service body may choose to affiliate with the region where the group exists or the Virtual Region.

Any group or service body may participate in the activities (including voting) of another intergroup, national service body, language service body, and/or specific focus service body, and region with their permission.

Section 4 – Functioning and World Service Business Conference Representation

  • Service bodies may conduct their business by any method they choose.
  • Minimal requirement for registered service bodies to maintain their registration at the World Service Office:
    1. Intergroups shall convene at least once a year, after prior notice has been given to all affiliated member groups, and for election of officers and selection, when necessary, of delegate(s) to the World Service Business Conference of Overeaters Anonymous.
    2. National service bodies shall convene at least once a year, after prior notice has been given to all affiliated member groups and intergroups for election of officers and selection, when necessary, of delegate(s) to the World Service Business Conference of Overeaters Anonymous.
    3. Language service bodies shall convene at least once a year, after prior notice has been given to all member groups, intergroups, and national service bodies for election of officers and selection, when necessary, of one delegate/alternate to the World Service Business Conference of Overeaters Anonymous.
    4. Specific focus service bodies shall convene at least once a year, after prior notice has been given to all member groups for election of officers and selection, when necessary, of one delegate/alternate to the World Service Business Conference of Overeaters Anonymous.
    5. Region assemblies whose members shall be called “region representatives” or “RRs” shall convene at least once a year, after prior notice has been given to all service bodies, and unaffiliated registered groups, for the election of officers and/or the selection of nominees for trustee(s) from that region and any sitting trustee from outside of that region who is currently serving as their trustee liaison.
  • To send delegates to the World Service Business Conference a service body must be formally registered, along with its delegate information, thirty days prior to Conference opening. (See Article VIII, Section 3(c) for qualifications and selection of delegates.)
  • In order to deregister, a service body submits a written request to the World Service Office, region chair, and trustee liaison; or in the case of a language service body or specific focus service body that is not affiliated with a region, the World Service Office and the trustee liaison.
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