Riverbend Church Continues Mann’s Legacy

More than 25 years ago, prominent Austin, TX, developer Gary Bradley donated 60 acres of land to assist Dr. Gerald Mann in expanding his small church. The gift marked the start of Riverbend Church’s rise to its place as a major congregation in the area. With Gary Bradley’s permission, Dr. Mann went on to expand the Austin, TX, church by selling the land and using the proceeds to purchase another site down the road. The church would go on to attract thousands of members and become a megachurch with a message available to millions through its television broadcasts.

Although Dr. Mann died late in 2015, Riverbend Church continues as a major force in the community. Its invitation to prospective congregants to come just as they are echoes Dr. Mann’s focus on accessibility to today’s people seeking a closer relationship with God. The church extends its outreach efforts in particular to people who feel battered and broken by the stresses of life. Its leadership strives to ensure that its values of diversity and inclusion translate into an atmosphere in which everyone can feel welcome.

Recent events at Riverbend Church include a school supply drive to help underserved children, a global leadership summit, and a congregational trip to the Holy Land.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Preserves the Nation’s Beauty

 


Gary Bradley of Austin, TX, has spent decades at the forefront of the area’s real estate development industry. He has also contributed to a number of charitable causes, including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin. He has served as a major donor to the center, and his development at Circle C Ranch intersects with its eastern portion. Gary Bradley’s contributions to the center exemplify his commitment to his Austin, TX, community.

Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, was the force behind a prominent national campaign designed to beautify America. Her idea was a simple one: that the creation of beauty in unattractive urban landscapes in particular would help people achieve better emotional health and contribute to everyone’s well-being.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center honor continues that tradition. Working with the goal of preserving and promoting beautiful, healthy landscapes, the center serves to educate people of all ages about wildflowers. The center got its start in a project Mrs. Johnson founded with actress Helen Hayes in the early 1980s. Two decades later, it became a research unit of the university.

Today, the center remains an active participant in conservation efforts. It additionally sponsors youth education programs, including Camp Wildflower, which gives elementary school children the opportunity to learn to be botanists and conservationists through participation in a range of investigative outdoor activities.