The classic worship song ‘Shine, Jesus shine’ has been reimagined this December as part of the UK-wide Shine Your Light Christmas campaign.
First written by Graham Kendrick in 1987, the song has remained one of the most recognisable modern worship hymns in the UK.
The Christmas project aims to unite Christians across the nation in “a powerful moment of unified worship”, according to organisers.
Nicole Hobday, a Christian school teacher and musician from Romford who inspired the project, told Premier Christian News: “What happened was, back when I was younger, I was 13, and I first encountered ‘Shine, Jesus shine’ at a Christian youth camp… I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the churches all over the country were to sing this at exactly the same time?”
She said the idea resurfaced last year while talking with Steve Thompson, Graham Kendrick’s musical director. “We went to see Graham perform, and at the end, he asked everyone to face north, south, east or west, and sing this song as a prayer over the nation. I thought, right, I have to tell Graham this.”
She revealed that Graham said he could not get the music out because “it’s like I’m promoting my own music, but you can do it”.
Hobday said the timing felt urgent after a period of national unrest last August. “I just heard, the time is now to pray over my people and sing healing to the nation. I phoned Steve straight away, and we started working to get this song sung by all the churches across the UK,” she said.
“This project isn’t just about reimagining a classic; it’s about proclaiming God’s light, love, and hope over our nation in a powerful moment of unified worship,” Nicole added.
The new arrangement includes children’s voices, prayers, lines in Punjabi and Mandarin, a rap and a choral arrangement by Ken Burton.
Hobday said the recording session at COM Church was “was so emotional. I think we were so blown away by the whole experience”.
She added: “It was just a joyful time of not just singing together, but worship as well.”
The Shine Your Light campaign runs from 12th to 14th December 2025, involving around 2,000 churches. Organisers said it aimed to mobilise 200,000 Christians to share the Gospel with two million people.