The IMN’s Signature 7-Day Mentoring Immersion: Ryan Offut (UK)

IMN Global Network
Ryan Offut, IMN Operative (UK)

Photo: IMN alumni Ryan Offut and Rachel Radford Think Together …Hard.

Ryan’s IMN Adventure
Orlando, FL
Feb 2008

I’m going to set the scene for you, so you can appreciate where I was coming from for my first ever IMN event.

• I travelled with IMN veterans Sam and Rachel from our hometown of Sheffield, UK.
• I had no idea what we were going to do throughout the week.
• We stayed at my parents’ home (I’m from Maryland but they’re “sunbirds” – I hate that word).
• Mom made Rice Krispie Treats in honor of our arrival.
• Jet lag meant I got up at 5:00 AM on the first morning.
• The first morning I ate about seven Rice Krispie Treats.

We went to a seminary (my first seminary visit-exciting times) for a seminar with an incredibly clever and equally friendly Old Testament scholar named Brian Russell.

He, like everyone else in the room, had a laptop.

I had a pad and paper.

(I’m all about vintage though, so I totally pulled it off).

“Ryan, get to the immersion week!”

Okay, okay. It was wonderful spending time with amazing leaders, who have a humble and humbling approach to doing God’s work on Earth. I am an American, but I’m an “English” Christ-follower, and I didn’t quite know what to expect, culturally – I was blissfully surprised. Throughout the week I was overwhelmed by the beautiful variety of people involved in the IMN, growing amazingly diverse communities that share the same core ethos.

Ryan performs at Voxtropolis 2008

Some of my favourite memories include:
• Learning from Brian Russell, a stunningly brilliant Old Testament scholar who is passionate about approaching the Bible for the benefit of everyone.
• Praying at the beach for everyone in the IMN and their communities + communion together.
• Long conversations with the other IMN people, generally over meals (We ate the whole time. I was never hungry).
• Being slapped on the leg by a fantastic old evangelist teacher, who pointed at me and said, with conviction, “Don’t mess with me!” (I won’t man, I won’t!)
• Spending time with Alex and his family, who not only share the Gospel with people in a fantastic, inclusive, relevant way, but embody it with their lives and passions.
• Having a meal with a band from Chattanooga, TN called Jettison Never – who showed me, through their stories, that musicians can be amazing missionaries and throw great parties at the same time.
• Humana, the 2-day conference where I got to spend time with even MORE amazing leaders.

Sometimes, when I meet with friends here in Sheffield, I feel like I’m the crazy one (can you relate to this – if you’re reading this, you’re probably nodding your head).

The IMN experience hasn’t proved that I’m normal – quite the opposite in fact. It’s affirmed that I’m not alone in my craziness, that I am a part of a network of people around the planet who are passionate about sharing God’s story, about saving the planet, about helping people become human again.

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More info on the IMN 7-Day Immersion.