Don’t forget that this Saturday is Freedom Fest!  The last three years, we’ve averaged over 10,000 people and we’re expecting another big crowd this year.  With that said, let me say a few things about Freedom Fest 2008:

• If you’re one of our amazing volunteers, thank you in advance for all you’re going to do to help us pull off this big event! 
• If you’ve never been to Freedom Fest before, make sure you stay after the concert for the fireworks (this is not your average neighborhood fireworks show…we go all out!)
• If you’re planning on showing up toward the end of the night, you might want to change your plans and come earlier.  There will be people everywhere, and the sooner you get here, the better seats you’ll be able to secure (which reminds me, bring a blanket and some chairs)

We can’t wait to see all of you this Saturday, and if you have any questions, or just want to know more about Freedom Fest 2008, click here.

As many of you know by now, we are a staff that enjoys having fun.  We work hard, but we also play hard.  Below is a video of us playing hard.  

If you were at the Leadership Weekend, you’ve already seen this, but I bet you’ll watch it again.  

If you didn’t make it, I hope you enjoy this crazy video we put together to introduce our theme for the weekend, “What Drives You?”

If you happen to be someone who doesn’t go to church here at Southside, you’ll notice that there are more than a few inside jokes, but I still think you’ll enjoy it too!

Have a great weekend and enjoy this video!

If for some reason, you missed Leadership Weekend 2008, let me summarize the events of these two nights as quickly as I can.  On Friday night alone…

• Batman and Robin showed up
• We released our first ever mini-movie (I hope I’ll be able to put that online soon!)
• Our pastor challenged us in a major way
• The age-graded breakout sessions were a homerun
• Mark and Amber rocked the house with a parody of Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive”
• We treated our volunteers and their kids to free ice cream (we paid two ice cream trucks to wait outside at the end of the night and we let them get whatever they wanted)

Saturday was great too, as we played Mario Kart Wii, gave away a bunch of gift cards, and talked about our core values as a church.  Of course, the highlight of Saturday morning was seeing all of our amazing volunteers step up and sign their names on our giant poster, committing to do whatever it takes to make a difference for Jesus Christ in this community. I could say more, but I won’t.  I think the following video will validate that this past weekend was amazing.   

If you missed the announcements on Sunday, you missed the best “What’s Happening at Southside” video ever.

As most of you know, we don’t do traditional announcements on Sunday morning.  We try and take the three or four most important announcements and communicate them as creatively as we can through video. 

Sometimes the video is straightforward, often it is crazy, and some days, it’s just classic!

This past Sunday was one of the classic days.  Earlier in the week, Drew Cook and I penned the words to this jingle you’re about to hear, and Chris Clark, Josh Ray, and Mark Baltzglier made it come to life on the big screen. 

The end result is this video, and I think you’ll enjoy it!

This was to funny not to share.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!