I’m probably never going to an anime convention again. At least that’s what I thought heading into 2025, because as much as I see the need for Christians to be present and serving at conventions, I find cons to be too high-energy and too overwhelming for me. I really struggle to get through them. But when God calls you—even to a place you’ve decided against going to again—you just go. And that’s what happened with Anime Matsuri, the huge anime con in Houston that we’ve covered as press for years. I would be going back—this time as a panelist.
Tiff of ShortStuffArts (Etsy/YouTube), a friend of Beneath the Tangles, submitted several panel requests to the convention; they were selected, and one in particular was a match for our ministry: “Biblical Themes in Anime.” She asked me to join her on the panel, and it felt like a “God fit,” as if He was arranging for us to work together on this project. In fact, I’m sure he was. I accepted the invite, prepped my content, and before I knew it, I was driving to Houston for the con!
Even though I headed over this time taking on a different role than I had, my ultimate intentions weres similar: I wanted to build relationships and look for opportunities to join God in whatever work he was preparing. With that in mind, I visited some friends who were guests at the con and also met up with Tiff, as well as the team she brought down with her, the day before our panel. And let me tell you—she and her friends are amazing people! All four are committed Christians as well as otaku, and they were so full of life and personality. I enjoyed making friends with them as I prepared for the work ahead!
On the day of the panel, though, that excitement started to dissipate. It was soon replaced by anxiety. I showed up early Friday morning and discovered that we were scheduled to present in a massive room, one that’s more often used for major guests rather than niche panels!
And as the hour drew near, the convention center still felt rather empty. The worry that no one would show up started to overtake me. At that moment, what I really felt was that I needed to just be faithful. I needed to trust God rather than lean on myself. So I did a prayer walk. I ambled around the boundaries of the room, praying two things: 1) telling God that I believed he could fill this room up if he wanted to, and 2) asking that we be his vessels, no matter how many people showed up or who they were.
God did indeed move. A couple of folks came in early, and then when 10:00 came, volunteers let a line of people in; by my final count, we had at least 75 attendees! That number blew my mind—it was more than I imagined might come to this early morning panel. Even better, the group was engaged with the presentation; they asked lots of great questions (and gave insightful analysis of their own!), and we spent half an hour chatting with people afterwards. It was incredibly encouraging!
The panel was encouraging, too. Tiff is a gifted and knowledgeable speaker; she spent much of her time focusing on the value of community, church, and relationship with God, while pointing out these themes in anime like Fairy Tail and Naruto, while also drawing on her experience in full-time ministry. And those friends from her team? They were there to help as well—to provide prayer for anyone needing it and, critically, to film our panel when I had a technological fail!
I also felt that God brought Tiff and me together as a team, in part, because we filled in a lot of each other’s gaps: different genders, ages, races, experiences, speaking styles, anime we’ve watched, and focuses of our ministries, among them. I don’t know how it was received from the audience’s perspective, but it felt to me that we delivered a strong, engaging, and Spirit-filled panel!
Here’s a small sample—a few words from my slide on Vinland Saga:
But even as well as it went that day, what I’m most excited about are the next steps: Where do the attendees go from here? With that in mind, one of our final slides gave names of ministry friends who are doing similar work in the digital field, like Geek Devotions, Gaming and God, and Anime Relateable. I also have a feeling that a couple of connections I made with attendees will result in new partners in this ministry.
So, despite my initial reticence to return to a con, the unlikelihood that many attendees would want to attend an early-day panel about Christianity, and my general lack of faith, God made it abundantly clear—I wasn’t done with cons because He wasn’t done using me to serve through them. And that’s kind of always the lesson, isn’t it? If we seek Him and are willing to listen, He will send us and He will use us. And in the end—as was the case with me at Anime Matsuri last week—we are the ones who often experience God the most deeply when we’re on mission, even at an anime convention.
And what an encouraging, glorious, and geeky thing that is!
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I’m a christian artist who loves anime. Is this group up to date? Looking for like minded friends. Where does this group usually meet?