Current meetings: All at Gulf Beach Presbyterian Church

Monday 7 PM Big Book  
Wednesday 7 PM 12 & 12
Friday 7 PM Closed Discussion

(all meetings are closed except for 3^rd Monday-- Birthdays---Open speaker meeting.)

EASTSIDE GROUP

Panama City, Florida

The fifth oldest AA group in the Panama City area, the "Eastside Group," was founded in Sept~mber, 1971, by Cliff S. and George W.

The Eastside Group was created out of a necessity to expand due to an increase in AA membership. Facilities at the other AA groups were becoming crowded as more and more alcoholics sought relief from their malady.

Early members of the Eastside Group included Alfred B., Robbie R., Roy B., Paul A., Cliff C., Cliff S., George W., and June W.

George W. had arranged a meeting with the pastor of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, located on South Tyndall Parkway. In order to request a meeting place for this new group. With enthusiasm, the pastor granted permission to use the ground floor facilities of this church. The first meetings of the Eastside Group were held each Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.

On December 27, 1971, the Eastside Group of AA was formally registered by the General Service Office of AA.

What has become a tradition in the Eastside Group -a once a month Saturday night open "eatin'-meetin'" -was established early on. This get-together proved to be immensely popular and has lived a long life.

As many of the District 15 AA groups did, the Eastside Group encountered smoking problems at its meeting place. Wishing to maintain harmonious relationships, the Eastside Group elected to move.

On August 15, 1985, fourteen years after its founding, the Eastside Group moved to new meeting facilities at the Parkway Presbyterian Church on the corner of South Tyndall Parkway and Hickory street. With a current membership of 34, this group continues to meet at this location.

Current meetings of the Eastside Group follow:

WEWA SERENITY GROUP

Wewahitchka, Florida

As previously mentioned, meeting location distances presented a major problem for the recovering alcoholic in the
District 15 area. People living on the outer fringes of the area needed, and deserved, a meeting place close to their home and work. Being about thirty miles from the nearest AA meeting was indeed difficult, and expensive, for those wanting to maintain their sobriety. In addition, there were "active" alcoholics in these outlying areas who could benefit from a nearby AA meeting.

Thus it was, in the spring of 1973, that Red B. and his wife, Hazel B. decided to form an AA group in Wewahitchka,
which is located in Gulf County, Florida. Red and Hazel obtained permission from the pastor of the First United Methodist Church, located on Highway 71 in Wewahitchka, to hold AA meetings in the church facilities. Early members included Red & Hazel B., Luther C. and E-C H. Meetings were held each Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The original group in Wewahitchka was known as the "WEWA Group" of AA Even though a dire need of an AA group existed in that locality, the Wewa Group did not attract a large number of members. What few members the group had, after two years, started moving out of town and by early 1975 the group ceased being active.

In April, 1986, Mary P. of Wewahitchka, took steps to reactivate the Wewa Group. Its name was changed to the "Wewa Serenity Group." This new group held its first meeting at the Wewa Medical Center and continued meeting there for the next nine months.

Mary P. assumed the duties of General Service Representative (GSR), Secretary, and Treasurer of the new Wewa Serenity Group until others could be found and elected.

On September 2, 1986, the Wewa Serenity Group of AA was formally registered by the General Service Office of AA.

On January 21, 1987, the Wewa Serenity Group moved back to the First United Methodist Church located on Highway 71 in Wewa, where the group continues to meet.

While small in membership, the Wewa Serenity Group actively sought ways to develop itself into a worthy example of a solid AA group. Among these ways was the procurement of its own post office box (P.O. Box 1113, Wewahitchka, FL 32465), and the  establishment of its own AA and Al-Anon library. Donations of AA books and AA literature were made by Mary P., Joel J., Jerry P., an Al-Anon named Marge P., and anonymous other donors.

The Wewa Serenity Group currently meets on THURSDAY evenings at 7:00 p.m. with an open discussion meeting.

HOPEFUL SERENITY GROUP

Panama City, Florida

In the Fall of 1973, several AA members in the Panama City, Florida area demonstrated their natural uneasy, uncomfortable, itchy selves by deciding to take the "geographical cure" and move out to new stomping grounds for their "AA" Due to over crowding and lack of space, there had been much talk about the need for starting another AA group in Panama City.

Having heard all this talk, with little or no action, prompted Orville L. (formerly of Maryland) to take his own action. On the afternoon of Saturday, October 6, 1973, while he and several other AA members were visiting a fellow AA member in the hospital, Orville suddenly announced that there would be a meeting of a brand-new AA group on Monday, October 8, 1973, at 8 p.m. He further announced that he had already made all of the necessary arrangements for a location, which was to be at the First Assembly of God Church, on 3rd Street in the Millville area of Panama City.

Much to the pleasant surprise of everyone, Orville L. had, indeed, made all the necessary arrangements, and the first
meeting of this new group was held at 8 p.m., October 8, 1973. While Orville claimed there was no connection, it is interesting to note that the Oct 8th "Thought for the Day" contains the statement, "AA grows by the starting of new groups all the time."

It was at this meeting, attended by some seventeen people, that the new group's name was voted upon -it was to be known as the "Hopeful Serenity Group" of AA That name still remains.

The first members of the Hopeful Serenity Group included Orville L., Jimmie C., Bill J., David H., Bill S., Eunice S.,
Bill M., and Mary X. From the very start, AI-Anon members were extremely active and membership in that group flourished. The times of the first meetings were, and still are, Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m.

As was the case with so many other AA groups, attitudes toward smoking began making its mark on this new group from the beginning. The use of its first meeting place was short-lived, and within two months David H. had made arrangements with the pastor of the Trinity United Methodist Church to utilize its facilities at 2322 East 3rd Street, Panama City (Millville).

On January 30, 1974, the Hopeful Serenity Group of AA was formally registered by the General Service Office of AA.

The Hopeful Serenity Group continued to meet at the Trinity Methodist Church until January of 1975 when it had to move to a temporary location at the Serenity Junction Club which was then located at 515 ~ast 6th street, Panama City. The group met at this location for only a few months.

In the Spring of 1975, the Hopeful Serenity Group made arrangements with the pastor of St. Dominic's Catholic Church on East 15th Street, Panama City, to use its Parish Hall for meetings. The group remained there for about a year-and-a-half.

In the Fall of 1976, the Hopeful Serenity Group moved its meetings to the Highland Park United Methodist Church on Baldwin Road, Panama City (Highland Park).

After six years, smoking once again became an issue, along with the stigma of the alcoholic, and the Hopeful Serenity Group was looking for a new meeting place. New facilities were found in a vacant service station on Ohio Avenue in Lynn Haven, Florida.

Following considerable work and clean-up, the Hopeful Serenity Group continued to meet at this service station until
the Fall of 1985 when it moved to the school annex of the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and East 7th Street, Panama City. The group continues to meet at this school annex with a present membership of 34.

Current meetings of the Hopeful Serenity Group follow:

 NOTE: The District Public Information Committee meets on the FIRST TUESDAY of every month at 5:30 p.m. at
the Hopeful Serenity Group.

THE NOONERS GROUP

Panama City, Florida

By December of 1973, several AA members in the Panama City, Florida area found themselves unable to regularly attend an evening AA meeting. This problem was caused by a number of reasons, the most prevailing being work commitments.

In order to provide everyone with an opportunity to meet, two members of other AA groups in the area came up with an idea to form an AA group which would meet at 12:00 noon instead of the normal evening time. It was from this idea that the name  "Nooners" came.

And so it was that Jack H. and Joe W. founded The Nooners Group of AA This new group held its first meeting on the 5th of December, 1973, in the facilities of the Forest Park United Methodist Church at the corner of 23rd street and Lisenby Avenue in Panama City, Florida. The Nooners Group continues to meet at this location.

The first meetings of The Nooners Group were held every Wednesday at 12:00 noon. Membership in this group grew and eventually, meeting days were expanded to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The need for a closed discussion meeting for women AA members was recognized, and Monday noon meetings were later set aside for them.

On February 5, 1974, The Nooners Group of AA was formally registered by the General Service Office of AA.

The first General Service Representative of The Nooners Group was Jack H. Others who served as GSR for this group included Ray B., Nell W., Bo S., and Tom B.

Current meetings of The Nooners Group follow: