Birmingham University is the 7th largest university in the country with over 30,000 students, a strong chaplaincy with longstanding Methodist involvement and is situated in the city of Birmingham. At the University very few students identify themselves as Methodist. Surveys show that just under 50% of UoB students identify as Christian, but the experience of the chaplains confirms that for most of these students their answers indicate a broad cultural identification rather than a link to a Christian community.
The Revd Mindy Bell, Methodist Chaplain has been reflecting and discerning the way forward post COVID. The university’s Methodist Society merged with the Anglican society pre COVID to form a student led SCM group which is now attempting to establish post COVID. In addition to SCM there are a variety of Student Faith Societies registered with the Guild. Mindy is familiar and friendly with the wide variety of these societies from the Chaplaincy’s work to help support the Student Faith Societies. The proposal for Bread Church is unique in relation to what these groups offer.
Based on the Chaplaincy’s engagement with students, there is a curiosity about and interest in an inclusive and justice seeking faith. Many students have described staying away from Church because they assume it is rigid and exclusionary. Planting Bread and Belief at UoB would help to overcome this scepticism by providing an inviting and intentionally welcoming Christian. Drawing on the legacy of the Methodist Societies forming disciples in the way of holiness through worship, lectures on the big ideas of the day, and small groups for discussion and prayer, Bread and Belief seeks to offer new Christian community aligned around the following postures:
Open - Bread and Belief takes a posture of being open to God, self and others. It is a space to play with ideas of faith and life, be imaginative and be open to new experiences. As fellow human beings share their story, their perspective, their struggles all are changed and something new is created.
Justice-Seeking - Higher education contexts often lead the way in shaping the next generation of justice-seekers drawing on the latest ideas. Bread and Belief is about putting Christian faith into that mix and drawing on the wealth of Wesleyan and the broader Christian tradition of ethics relevant to our day.
Embodied - In an environment that is all about “thinking” many students are in need of a context where faith is not just something cerebral and focused on belief. Instead, the sacramental practice of bread-making makes this an embodied experience and expression of faith.
The vision built upon these postures is for a new worshipping community that university students and those who feel a sense of mission and calling to this area can call home. The new church will be united by the postures and a sense of mission to the University of Birmingham. The new church will not be another society but will be grounded in the life of wider Methodism.
The making and baking of bread will be the central practice of this NPNP project. This focus was chosen due to the popularity of community-building bread baking sessions offered at the Chaplaincy, the experience of Bread Church in Liverpool, and the easy availability of suitable kitchen space within the chaplaincy. Many students have never made bread before so the offer to make bread from scratch catches their interest. Time spent making bread gives an opportunity for building community and the natural pauses in the process led themselves to discussion. The baking of two loaves, one for one’s self and one to give away, is an opportunity to speak of justice and show care for others. In addition, the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread is a welcoming advertisement for the gathering. Bread and Belief will begin in academic year 22/23 with continued discernment and team building. In 23/24 a group of bread makers baking together, talking, sharing hopes, dreams and stories in simple embodied liturgy – forming disciples together.
Project videos: