On a roll: Chaplain bakes 125 loaves of bread for 125 years
Chaplain Pastor Obi Iheoma marks the University’s 125th anniversary by baking and donating 125 loaves of bread to support the local community.
(left to right) Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham, Pastor Obi Iheoma, and Professor Stephen Jarvis, Provost and Vice-Principal.
To mark the University’s 125th anniversary, one chaplain has honoured the milestone in a way that’s as heartfelt as it is hands-on – by baking 125 loaves of bread and donating them to support people experiencing homelessness.
Pastor Obi Iheoma, Seventh-day Adventist Church chaplain at the University, led a two-week bread-baking marathon from our Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, supported by the Student EDI Team. The final loaf was baked on Friday 20 June, completing his ambitious goal of 125 loaves for 125 years.
The bread was donated to Let’s Feed Brum, a local charity working with people affected by homelessness across Birmingham.
“This was about more than bread,” said Pastor Obi. “It was about community, care, and creating space for people to connect. That’s what the University is all about. Baking bread brings people together, across disciplines and backgrounds, and creates something nourishing in every sense.”
With a background in engineering, theology, and education, Pastor Obi’s journey to chaplaincy has been anything but conventional. Originally from Nigeria, he retrained as a teacher after moving to the UK in 1995, later becoming a maths lecturer and higher education manager before taking on chaplaincy roles across the West Midlands and Scotland, including with West Midlands Police.
“I’ve always loved being around the university environment,” he reflected. “There’s something special about the energy here.”
The bread-baking sessions drew in staff and students from across campus, with many discovering the joy of baking for the first time. One participant even claimed their bread intolerance mysteriously vanished after tasting a fresh loaf.
This was about more than bread. It was about community, care, and creating space for people to connect. That’s what the University is all about. Baking bread brings people together, across disciplines and backgrounds, and creates something nourishing in every sense.
“It’s been funny to see people who’ve baked bread before come in and realise what they made wasn’t quite bread!” Pastor Obi laughed. “When they feel the dough and taste the loaf, they understand this is real.”
When he’s not baking or leading services across three local churches, Pastor Obi runs free evening maths classes for the community, supporting learners up to degree level. And when it comes to food, his go-to dish is ground rice with vegetable soup — though he admits the fresh-baked bread is proving hard to resist: “If it’s this bread, I’ll eat it all day. I’m having to control my appetite!”
“Bread baking has always been a joyful part of our chaplaincy life,” he added. “It’s a beautiful way to mark this anniversary.”