Students on our campus at the University of the Pacific (CA) loved the movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, so we used this as our theme for last fall’s seeker meeting called the Joint. We want to give seekers and skeptics an opportunity to hear about Jesus in a way that is comfortable, relevant, entertaining and, well, fun! We sponsor the Joint three times a year and it’s been amazing to watch what God does in the lives of our non-believing friends and fellow students. There is a lot of spiritual curiosity that has surfaced through the Joint.

The Joint takes a lot of planning and preparation. We used an Asian motif to decorate the Tiger Lounge, which is the biggest meeting room in the biggest dorm on campus. Small Chinese lanterns circled the periphery of the room and two large lanterns lit up the front. Bamboo shoots reached to the sky. The band, “To Remain Nameless,” played a sonorous melody familiar to the masses as everyone entered. People were amazed at the room’s transformation, and it quickly became a magical place to drop the worries of the week and be free to pursue the soul’s deeper longings.

The band had played earlier in the day in the courtyard of the student center, so many people had a taste of what the evening would be like. There were students from many different campus communities, including Greeks, gay students, dorm residents and others. Many came to check out the Crouching Tiger theme: “Who’s Your Master?” We prepared the music, a funny skit, movie clips and a serious drama based on this theme. The final segment was a talk about how great God is. Then we invited the non-Christians to respond by signing up for a GIG or a coffee time through a raffle where they could win cool prizes.

The funniest part of the evening came when we did a skit that was a re-enactment of the entire movie in less than seven minutes. It was filled with humor and was a great parody of a serious movie that got everyone laughing and having tons of fun!

The Joint team decided to take some risks by including non-believers in the planning and production of the event itself. Our emcee for the evening was a friend of a team member who had been involved in a Bible study. After his involvement in the Joint, he expressed interest in a GIG to get more specific questions answered and journey deeper in his quest with Jesus. He did a great job as emcee, keeping things moving and holding everything together.

Another friend, gifted in drama, was excellent in her role acting as an infomercial spokesperson. About a month after the Joint, she agreed to join a GIG for the next semester. She is also just beginning her new spiritual journey.

By creating an environment that was not only geared for non-believers, but included non-believers, we were blessed in seeing people in all different stages of spiritual interest and knowledge move deeper and closer towards the living God. Now, when we ask each other, “Who’s your master?” we know the answer is Jesus, the Master of all.

—Heather Rädlein is on staff with InterVarsity at the University of the Pacific and Delta Community College in Stockton, California. When she's not hanging out with people, Heather enjoys rock climbing, singing, reading, writing and traveling.