A little over a year ago, we started a movement. A movement towards more: more compassion, more generosity, more outreach. This movement started with Riverbend Works — an amazing evening where we cast a vision for the future of missions and outreach at Riverbend, which includes tending to the emotional, practical, and spiritual needs of our neighbors in Austin, and across our borders.
Our first annual Riverbend Works in 2019 was an amazing success, and because of that evening we were able to fund our most ambitious year of missions and outreach to date.
And behind each of these numbers is a story. A story of each life that has been changed because of Riverbend Works. A story behind every life that was served in Austin and around the world, and a story behind every individual that chose to be a part of the movement and serve their neighbors. A story of how, through a Spirit-fueled movement toward more, Riverbend is bringing light to the darkness of our world.
In 2020, despite how dark the world may currently seem, you have the chance to shine bright. Will you partner with Riverbend Works and be a part of someone else’s story — to bring light to the darkness?
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
[Matthew 5:14-16 NIV]
In 2019 we mobilized more volunteers to serve around Austin than any prior year in Riverbend’s history. Between our Neighborhood Development Centers in South and East Austin, and ministry partners like Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF), Community First! Village (CFV), Hopefully Sow, and Be Lydia, we’re offering more opportunities for Riverbenders to get involved.
We created new ministries, like the Fish! Fish! Fish! group that meets at CFV, or the Woven Blessings Boutique at our East Austin NDC that provides new and gently used clothes to the community at a fraction of the price.
Additionally, we have deepened our relationships with the men of The Bridge program in South Austin, and residents of CFV by inviting members of these communities to join us on trips to Mexico, as well as the annual Men’s Summit.
While the current COVID-19 pandemic has affected some of our normal serving opportunities with our local ministry partners, we’re still as active as we’ve ever been in the greater Austin area. When you partner with us you help us achieve our major 2020-21 goals:
Continuing to invest in our South and East Austin Neighborhood Development Centers. Specifically, in East Austin we will be developing our 7,000 sqft. facility on Cameron Rd. in order to add immigration counseling services and create new, sustainable businesses to operate out of the space that will provide jobs to the community, as well as helping to fund the NDC.
Work with our NDC’s and local ministry partners like Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Community First! Village, Hopefully Sow, and Be Lydia, to generate ample volunteer opportunities to mobilize even more Riverbenders. Along with helping our Austin neighbors, this benefits Riverbend by creating community and camaraderie, encouraging spiritual growth, and building a sense of ownership and togetherness in the church.
In 2019 we had our most ambitious year of global missions in the history of Riverbend. Working with our brothers and sisters at the Siloe church in El Salvador, and the Hands & Feet ministry in Mexico, 2019 also saw us form new relationships with communities all over the world.
From Myanmar to Ecuador, Peru, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti — we invested in new partnerships with organizations that will allow us to be a light in the darkness for disenfranchised communities for many years to come.
Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the world, our ability to send teams internationally has been temporarily put on hold. But this does not stop our work completely. When you partner with us, this helps us achieve these major 2020 - 21 goals:
Work closely with the Hands & Feet ministry in Piedras Negras, Mexico to ensure that we can send teams as soon as it is possible to safely do so. We anticipate being able to return to Mexico before any of our other international trips. Trips to Mexico are vital because they act as a gateway trip that inspires people to serve on other international and local trips.
Continue working with our overseas partners to make sure they are resourced to be a source of light in their communities, and organize more opportunities for us to send Riverbenders to serve with them as soon as we’re safely able to do so.
Sometimes life goes differently than you expected. For some, 2020 has felt incredibly dark — even overwhelming. But that’s not where the story ends. God has graciously resourced Riverbend with an amazing team of staff and volunteers who are more committed than ever to be a source of light to everyone who has been impacted by this crisis.
At the start of the pandemic, food demands increased while the normal rescued food donations decreased. Yet we were able to shift resources in only a matter of a few short weeks, acquiring more food sources and converting Riverbend’s Community Center into a full-fledged food packaging and distribution facility.
Through the tireless efforts of Riverbend’s volunteers, and partnerships with the Central Texas Food Bank and other local churches, we’re feeding nearly 10,000 people a week between our South and East Austin Neighborhood Development Centers.
When you choose to give to Riverbend Works, you are helping to resource a team that has created an outreach model that is not only broad enough to mobilize hundreds of volunteers each year, but agile enough to shift resources quickly in times of crisis to make sure that Riverbend is always set up to shine brightly in the communities that need it most.
God is using Riverbend to bring light into the world. Fueled by Riverbend Works, the movement behind our missions and outreach efforts is the strongest it’s ever been. And this is where you come in.
We want to invite you to be a part of the Riverbend Works movement: to partner with us as we continue to bring God’s grace to the world by meeting the emotional, practical, and spiritual needs of the communities He calls us to.
If you want to partner with Riverbend by volunteering to serve on a trip, or help out locally, simply click the link below, fill out the form, and we’ll get in touch with your shortly!
