Our church has been the Christian heart and centre of Roe Green Village for over 200 years.

Roe Green was a sparsely populated village in the early 1800s, with little regard for the Christian faith,  and it was not uncommon for preachers to have stones thrown at them or be spat on.

The first sermon was an open-air sermon believed to have been in 1808, at spot called Tyldesley Fold, one Humphrey Harper being the preacher. He stood on a large stone in order to raise himself above the crowd. The stone served as an open air pulpit; it has been preserved and remains in the church yard to this day.

In the latter part of the 1800s, it was clear the lack of a decent chapel was both inconvenient and hindering growth. These early pioneers had to raise £1,000 pounds for the construction of a new chapel, which is the chapel that stands on the green today. Today, that would be the equivalent of raising £143,000; Roe Green then was quite an impoverished area. The leaders and ladies (specifically mentioned) of the congregation joined hands and put their faith in God that this would be accomplished.

The building as it stands now was completed in 1884 and the first service held was on December 5^th of that year.

Roe Green Church was founded on the principles of the Independent Methodist movement for which we remain a member of, to this day. Latterly, we have also become an associate member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

There have been several cricketers who have played for England baptised or dedicated at Roe Green, the most recent being Michael Vaughn, if you decide to have your son or daughter dedicated and blessed at the church, you never know, they may be part of a rich sporting tradition!

The above only scratches the surface of the faith, dedication and sacrifice men and women of this beautiful village have shown and given in serving the village and ensuring the Christian faith is taken to the homes of the village residents. This remains a core value to the present day.

For a more detailed history of the church, there are 2 books that we loan out, the first being ‘Centenary Memorials’ by William Brimelow, which covers the first 100 years of the church history, and the second, ‘Roe Green Church’, written by HL Tyldesley MBE and I. Shaw, which covers the next 100 years.

When you walk into the main chapel, you will see above the choir loft area the inscription ‘Walk by Faith, Not by Sight’. The church was built on this statement of belief and trust in Jesus and remains a core value.