Midwest District (Indiana and Illinois).

We have been doing a fall retreat for the last 3 years. The first year we had a 'rep' from "Man in the Mirror". While the material was good and the leader was excellent, it was too much material for a Friday/Saturday retreat. The second year, Jay Kesler was our main speaker. We allowed time for interaction and recreational activities. We found that the men liked a looser schedule. The retreat last year was at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Cedar Lake, Indiana. Our theme was "relationships:" Our relationship with God, family and community. Our speakers were pastors Angel Collazo and Jon Rich and our district superintendent, Dr. Fred Polding. It went well. Fifty men attended.
This fall we are going back to Cedar Lake for Friday evening thru Saturday 8:00 PM. Feedback indicated that some men had a problem being away from their church on Sunday. Our speaker will be Dave Wager. He is from Silver Birch Camp in White Lake, Wisconsin. Has spoken at many men's meetings. Our goal is 60 men. For more information contact Brice Fennig at 260-589-2907.

Great Lakes District (Lower Peninsula of Michigan and NW Ohio)

The Great Lakes District includes churches in the peninsula of Michigan and NW Ohio. We are constantly building our ministry.  We have many churches in the district, but only a few men working with us.  Our consistent goal is to interest at least one man in each church to be a "point man."  This is one of the most difficult goals to achieve.  Communication is a never ending battle.  There are various activities throughout the year that enable the men to minister.  To minister to missionaries, we have AMPAC (Alliance Men Providing a Car).  The district has a fleet of vehicles available to missionaries on home assignment. The funds come only from individuals in the Great Lakes district who either have donated a vehicle or money.  In order to minister to men, the district holds an annual golf outing with 80-90 men attending and an annual district retreat, among other things. For more information contact Paul Hille, men's ministry district coordinator at 440-463-2378. (January 2009)

South-Atlantic District. (North and South Carolina and Georga)

Men's ministry opportunities across the South Atlantic District are available and exciting. We want our focus to be centered on service through spiritual leadership, evangelism, discipleship and service. C&MA Men's leadership in the local church is critical and tools and ministries are available to lead and guide men in practical ways through proven approaches and methods. Our annual retreat is our "signature" event, providing "tool sharpening" ideas that can assist and "jump start" men in their local ministries. More than 500 men attend our retreats. Our fall retreats have been strategically themed: Holiness (2007), Spiritual Leadership in the Home (2008), Evangelism (2009), Discipleship (2010). The leadership team is preparing for the 2009 retreat on Evangelism with Josh McDowell and Crawford Loritts. We are discussing ideas for incorporating different types of audio/visual media into the retreat. We plan to introduce men to Blueprint training during the retreat weekend, for those who are not already aware, and offer multiple seminars on topics that resonate with men of the 21st century. Our men are involved in construction projects and support a fleet of vehicles that we make available to missionaries on home assignment. The vehicles are provided through donation and our men fund vehicle maintenance through periodic "mug dumps" in our churches. For more information, contact Bob Sackmann at 919-387-7361. (April 2009)

Rocky Mountain District. (Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and the western Dakotas)

We have a variety of summer activities that follow on the heels of the RMD Advance that occurs every February.  The Advance is in addition to regional retreats in different areas of the district. These retreats focus on the gospel and building relationships. Our churches are increasing the number of accountability groups. These groups range from two to twelve in weekly attendance and may include lunches and Bible studies to satisfy the hunger of men's hearts.  Several of our churches have Men's Nights with themes like 'Are you tough enough to be a Missionary' using elk bugling, knife throwing, goose calling and missionary speakers. Other activities include Super Bowl parties and small groups studying studying 'No Man Left Behind'.  We've had tremendous success with 'potato shoots' (long distance potato blasting with a PVC pipe), 'Wildlife Feeds' and 'Beast Feasts', camping trips, Father/Daughter dinners and numerous camping events that involved rifle and gun activities. These are especially fun for those that have never shot a big game rifle, 9mm pistol or twelve gauge shotgun. We find guys like to get together for just about any reason but they need a leader.  We frequently press our men to listen for God's call and to jump at the chance for a blessing through leadership. For more information, contact Jim Woods at 307-632-8197.  (July 2009)