IGNITE Held in Missoula, Montana!

IGNITE, the RMD fall conference for Official Workers and spouses, was held from Monday, September 29, to Thursday, October 2, in Missoula, Montana. Hosted by Missoula Alliance Church (MAC) and Discovery Alliance Church, approximately 135 workers in the district gathered together in a retreat-like setting for excellent teaching from God’s Word, connecting with one another, and getting away with the Lord.

Dr. Bill Kuhn, Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, was the guest speaker. Dr. Kuhn spoke on four of the seven churches written to by Christ in Revelation 2 and 3 and was a blessing to all. Great times of worship were held at both MAC and Discovery, led by Draylen Askvig from MAC.  

As part of the “retreat” feel to the conference, those present were given Tuesday afternoon and evening off to explore Missoula, shop, or rest. Wednesday afternoon was also a time of no services and an opportunity to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. Wednesday morning in the second session, folks from our two camps, Yellowstone Alliance Adventures and Dickey Lake Bible Camp, along with district personnel, shared updates on a variety of district-related items. A highlight of that session was having Dr. Roger and Pauline Ntoto, Vice-President of the African Association of C&MA Churches, in attendance, along with Edward Marengo, an elder at MAC who is originally from the Congo. MAC has been at the forefront of helping Congolese refugees get resettled in Missoula — and, also, integrated into the life of MAC.

Other news mentioned at Ignite included the awarding of the $20,000 Breaking the Barriers Grant to Green River Alliance Church in Wyoming! The grant was established in 2013 to assist accredited churches with breaking through barriers of ministry, staff, and facility needs. Other important items of note in that session included:

• The 2026 RMD Men’s Conference will be held in Billings, MT, Friday, February 20 – Sunday, February 22, 2026. Howie Close, from Colorado Springs, CO, will be the main speaker. Further information can be found on the district website – www.rmdcma.com.

• New Alliance President, Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer, will be speaking at three official worker roundtables in the district, Monday, March 16 – Wednesday, March 18th, at three separate locations in the District!  More information will follow in the weeks ahead.

• The 2026 RMD Women’s Retreat will be held Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Billings, MT, with Leah Broach, Alliance Kids National Director, speaking! Information on this retreat will be sent out in the next few weeks.

• The 2026 RMD District Conference is planned for Monday, April 13 – Thursday, April 16, 2026, at CrossBridge Alliance Church in Cheyenne, WY.  More information will follow at the first of the year; however, you are encouraged to save these dates now!

• The 2026 Ignite Conference is tentatively scheduled for Monday – Thursday, October 5 – 8, in a place to be determined!

You can find Ignite resources including speaker slides and song list here.