Nick Hall lives for one reason — to make Jesus famous. And the North Dakota State alum did just that Saturday night when his Reason Christmas tour filled the auditorium of Bethel Church in South Fargo.

Accompanied by Christian artists Brandon Heath, Nichole Nordeman and Dave Lubben, Hall and his team from the Pulse Movement are touring the Upper Midwest to share the Reason Christmas with as many people who will listen. It was a night filled with traditional carols and new Christmas favorites, leaving the music echoing throughout the church.

This is the eighth year Hall has brought the Reason to Fargo, but the history of the Pulse Movement extends back much farther.

In 2004, when Nick Hall was a student at NDSU, he wrote a proposal for an English class. This proposal, entitled Pulse, was a cry for a positive event to unite the campus. The proposal turned into a mission to see this event happen, and to reach out to his peers in a way that had never been done before.

During the 2005 and 2006 school year, it came to life. The little team that became known as the Pulse Movement organized a student-led event that filled the former Bison Sports Arena. The one event turned into a movement that was sweeping the nation as students from different colleges asked Hall and his team to bring Pulse to their schools, and eventually spread across the globe.

The idea of a Christmas tour started eight years ago, when students asked Hall for a way to bring the gospel message they had heard at their universities home to their families. Hall said in an interview with The Spectrum he finds the meaning of the holiday often gets lost, and the Reason Christmas tour was a way to bring the joy and hope of Christ back to Christmas.

As with all of their events, the aspiration of the Pulse team is to share the love of God with everyone who walks through the doors. Each year, a different combination of Christian artists take the stage, singing Christmas favorites and sharing stories, accompanied by a message from Hall, with the simple goal of sharing the true reason for the season.

Saturday night, Brandon Heath and Nichole Nordeman performed selections from their respective Christmas albums and led the crowd in carols like “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Silent Night.” Nordeman shared stories of her two kids at Christmas-time, engaging fellow parents with the antics of a teenager and an 8-year-old. Heath shared some of the songs off of his Christmas album, including “Night before Christmas” and “Just a Girl,” a ballad that tells the Nativity story through the eyes of the innkeeper.

The Reason continues on with shows in Rochester, Aberdeen and Bismarck, featuring the bands Switchfoot and Tenth Avenue North.

What’s next for the North Dakota kid who dreamed of telling the world about his love for Jesus? Well, he wants to fill U.S. Bank Stadium with an event in the Twin Cities this May. Pulse Movement is still continuing with the campus outreach events all over the country, including one at Baylor University in Texas. And Hall is working with NDSU’s own Carson Wentz, who shares the same love of telling people about Jesus.

It’s come full-circle for the NDSU grad. The idea that started as an English assignment sparked a movement that has changed the lives of a generation. But Hall won’t be done anytime soon, not ‘til the whole world hears.