In nearly every city stands a beautiful cathedral, huge ornate structures which once stood as a beacon to an entire community - places of pilgrimage that even those with little or no faith see as a reminder of the great achievements of previous generations.

Sadly, to many people today, these great cathedrals are nothing more than tourist attractions, monuments to a meaningless religious ideal and their tradition of worship - viewed as quaint and irreverent,

But imagine every cathedral across our nation simultaneously filled with the light of life and songs of hope.

Our vision is to do this, and the most appropriate night is October 31st - known as Halloween. Why this night?

For two reasons:

• That on a night associated with darkness and fear, what better message can we bring than one of light in the darkness and hope in the face of fear?
• This night is not Halloween but All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints Day, a day to celebrate the fact that God can take ordinary human beings and use them in extraordinary ways.

Our vision is of beacons in the darkness - fires being lit across the nation. Signs that even in our darkest moments, communities and nations have a reason to hope.

The Call to Hobnob Living
(All Saints Praise, Canterbury, 31st October 2009)

The Nave was almost full, the atmosphere was electric as we worshipped together ... and the biscuits were great!

This year, All Saints Praise in Canterbury underwent something of a shift. Previously organised from the Detling office, the team felt it was time to release their resources to launch other similar events elsewhere in the country, and we in Canterbury felt it was time to take ownership of an event which has so profoundly blessed us these past 8 years. So a small team of us had put our heads together to seek God for the shape of the evening and what he wanted it to include.

First-night nerves were definitely in evidence as the day dawned. Would people still come, now that it was being organised differently to before? Would all the practicalities fall into place? But when the sovereign God of the universe is in charge, you really don't have to worry, do you. People came, and it was a fantastic evening.

The worship band, led by Andrew Fitzgerald, Associate Minister of Canterbury Baptist Church, was made up of musicians from various different churches in the city, and they truly did lead us to the throne of God. Even amidst the interesting acoustics and the restrictive dynamic of worshipping in tightly-packed rows, we really did sense the Spirit at work, igniting the offering of heart-felt praise to God.

Our speaker was Dr Russell Rook, head of the Chapel St organisation, which works to enable the Christian community to engage with education, healthcare and other aspects of social care in a meaningful and transformational way. He challenged us on the quality of our faith: were we living a 'Rich Tea' experience of God or a Chocolate Hobnob one. He enlightened us, with much hilarity, on his opinion of Rich Tea biscuits ... which is principally that they are bland, tasteless and without substance. Chocolate Hobnobs, on the other hand, are sturdy, crunchy and seriously tasty. He challenged us not to settle for bland, but to expect God to use us in bringing life and flavour to our communities.

After the talk, we got into groups to pray with one another, and, yes you've guessed it, we broke the Chocolate Hobnobs with each other, as a sign of our commitment to go for the best and not to settle for less.

We finished the evening with a prayer for our nation, and for the persecuted church around the world.

It was a truly blessed evening, with people coming from all over the South-East to be with us and it was a privilege to host and welcome so many friends from our own city and further afield. We can't wait to do it again!

Kindly reported by Lyndall Bywater, St Mary Bredin, Canterbury. Reproduced with permission.