South West Manchester District, North Western Synod, of the United Reformed Church Roby URC Dickenson Road, Longsight, Manchester, M13 0YW.

This page under construction: Provisional Information   Part of the South West Manchester Group of Churches Minister in Pastoral Charge: Revd Bob Day The home of The Roby, a preventative mental health project

Longsight is a sprawling, ill-defined, district of Manchester, 3 miles south of the city centre astride the A6. It has a very large proportion of people originally from overseas, many belonging to other faiths, a large student population, many people of Irish Catholic background, many elderly residents and the largest number of children of all Manchester wards, an unemployment rate of over 25% and enormous social deprivation - the epitome of inner city living at the end of the 20th Century.

Roby United Reformed Church is one of the few remaining mainstream free churches still serving the area. Located off the main A6 Stockport Road on Dickenson Road, we moved into our small, modern building in the 1970s and joined the South West Manchester Group at roughly the same time

Our congregation meets for a cup of tea on Sunday mornings from 10.30. We then often have half an hour of all age Bible study or discussion group work before the more formal worship starts, usually at 11.30am. Roby Church is also the home of The Roby, a preventative mental health project which has the confidence and support of local health professionals.

The Roby (then known as the Roby Outreach Project) was started by the church in 1985 but is now largely independent, although the church still has some involvement within the management committee.

So what is Roby here for today?

We worship God in an informal setting where anything might happen.

We support and house The Roby which uses the building 5 days a week for its valued work in the area.

We provide a Christian fellowship community for people to belong to; a mixture of local and gathered people from a wide range of backgrounds, all ages and nationalities.

We continue a Reformed church tradition in a place which has changed dramatically since our predecessors moved out from the city centre to leafy Longsight before the

First World War. We perpetuate the name of William Roby who played such a significant part in the history and mission of the Church in Manchester and internationally.

We provide a place of worship and opportunities for theological placement for students from Luther King House.

We provide opportunities to develop our confidence and skills, teaching and learning together and from each other, children and adults together. We are tolerant and supportive.

We are one of the few remaining Christian presences in the area, trying to make real God's love and redemption.

So what are our characteristics?

- Small and friendly;

- Both gathered and local;

- Adaptable

- Informal setting

- A lovely mix of people from different backgrounds and walks of life;

- All ages: children are very much part of the group

- Sharing: with The Roby and the Calvary Church of God for example;

- Willing to try new ideas in worship;

- An extended family;

- Tolerant, sharing a mix of views;

- A mixture of more formal worship and group Bible study/discussion etc.

- A teaching church and a learning church;

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