Jan. 16, 2025 – Keith Taflinger begins serving today as MC3 Church’s new children’s and student minister.

 

Keith, 28, comes to MC3 from a similar position at First Christian Church in Water Valley, Mississippi, where he has served since December 2021. In addition to mentoring and pastoring children and students towards Christ-centered lives, Keith implemented a unique program at a Water Valley elementary school that provided after-school care in a Godly environment.

 

“My main goal is to build relationships with students and guide them to a deeper relationship with Christ,” Keith said. “I believe students can be the most effective disciple-makers—that’s why their generation is so important. I can’t wait to see where God leads the children’s and student ministry at MC3. I look forward to meeting everyone and becoming part of the MC3 family.”

 

Keith’s other work experience includes five years as a season staff worker at Woodland Christian Camp in Temple, Georgia, and one year as the operational director of Wildfire Christian Camp in Bloomfield, Indiana. He graduated from Mid-South Christian College in Memphis, Tennessee, with a bachelor’s degree in Christian Leadership in 2021 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree.

 

“We are super excited to have Keith become part of the MC3 family,” said Senior Minister Art Stansberry. “He has a big heart for young people and a strong desire to help them build their relationship with Christ. We are confident he will do everything possible to help people walk one step closer to Jesus in their everyday lives.”

Jan. 25, 2024 – We have updated the church's giving options to create a centralized giving platform for all online giving and ultimately save money on fees.

 

The new primary online giving option for the website and church app is https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/MC3Church/Give. You can access this at the top of the church website and on the home page of the church app (located at top below logo).

 

You also can continue to use our Zelle account (info@mc3.life) or your direct bank account – the preferred options which incur no fees associated with your giving.

 

As of today, giving by text is no longer an option. If you have any questions, please touch base with Jim Barber via email or phone at 404-268-6981.

Nov. 5, 2023 – Sunday was a special and blessed day in the life of MC3 as we dedicated our newly renovated building and grounds to the Lord.

 

What a blessing it was to have so many members and others on hand who have contributed to the success of this piece of God’s Kingdom. Our prayer is to use this facility and ministry to help people walk one step closer to Jesus and bring glory to God.

 

You can see a photo album of the even—courtesy of Brandi Williams—on the MC3 Facebook page (click here).

 

If you have other photos to add to the album, send them to info@mc3.life.

 

Watch a video of the construction from start to finish

 

Watch Sunday's dedication service

WATCH THE VIDEO

 

June 27, 2023 – Joshua 3:17 tells us, "The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground."

 

They did so in faith that God would do what He promised.

 

Today, we poured a little of the Jordan River in the first few steps of the new entrance of the church as a reminder that God is faithful.

 

As we take our first steps into the building each week, our hope is that it is a subtle reminder of our desire to walk one step closer to Jesus and, as we exit, may it be a reminder that we have a calling to help others walk one step closer to Jesus.

 

So as you enter the building this week and in the future, in some way you will be crossing the Jordan on dry ground.

Editor’s Note: MC3’s new Fundamentals Sunday-morning C-Group kicks off this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the upstairs meeting room. Titus Pemberton, who will facilitate the class, wrote this brief overview for participants.

 

By Titus Pemberton

May 1, 2023 - Learning the Fundamentals of the Christian faith is about fun. It's also about friendship, fellowship, following, focus and fealty. I'll break these down in a second. 

 

But first, imagine you started a new job. You saw the post online, maybe LinkedIn or something like that, which praised the possibilities in life you could have if you got the job. Pay was $1 million a year, after taxes. This pay continued after retirement—all medical expenses, long-term care, even dental and vision was paid by the company—FOREVER!

 

In your excitement, you applied, thinking—there's no way I get this, but it can't hurt. The application asked for your name, address, social security number, you know, the usual stuff. It never, however, asks for your education, experience or qualifications. You think it's a bit weird, but you submit your application anyway and close the window on your computer.

 

Immediately, in your email inbox, you get an email that says, "YOU'RE HIRED."

 

You open it up and it says you got the job! Arrive for orientation immediately at the specified location and time. You show up and you're the only one there. A man rises from behind a desk to greet you and he says this, "I'm so glad you applied for the job! I've been hoping you would! I'm sure you're curious about what the job entails. That's the simple part. You see I've written an employee handbook for you that explains everything I need from you, but really, it's about 5 Fs."

 

1. Friendship - I, specifically, want to be your friend. Friendship is a relationship that takes work on both parties. You have to spend time with each other to know how to be the best friend you can be to that specific person. Spend time in your handbook. It tells you specifically how I want to be your friend and what I expect in our friendship.
2. Fellowship - I have many people who work for me. I need you to fellowship with them and talk about what you've found in the company handbook about what I expect from each employee out of our friendship.
3. Following - This is a lifetime position. My company isn't always going to be popular with the other people you know outside of the company, but I need you to follow the handbook and do what it asks of you - always.
4. Focus - I realize that the handbook is thick. I need you, however, to focus on what it says, focus on our friendship, fellowship and following. I mentioned my company isn't always popular. You need to be laser focused and weigh everything the people around you say about how you're supposed to work here against that handbook. If they're saying something different than the handbook, follow the book.
5. Fealty - This is the last and possibly the hardest F to understand. I'm a pretty jealous boss. I need you to put what you think I need, shown in that handbook, above everything else in your life. There's going to be some things in there that seem odd, scary or just wrong with what your view of the world is. There's some rules in there you're not gonna like. I need you to simply do what It says. 

These Fs are simple in theory, but it takes a lifetime of work and you get a lifetime of friendship! I promise that the pay is worth it!

---

 

How can we expect to know God, to fellowship and focus on Him, to obey Him, if we don't know what he wants of us? If we don't know his Handbook? How can we put on the Armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18 if we don't have a belt of truth? If our shield of faith is so small, because our soil wasn't deep enough, it can't block the arrows this world will shoot at us?

 

Knowledge of God helps us know and fellowship with God. It deepens our friendship with Him because we know more about Him! It helps us stand against this world and stand with others that work for Him! Come stand with us Sunday mornings. 

April 17, 2023 – The MC3 family begins an incredible Bible-reading plan today that will allow us to read through the New Testament in chronological order—the way events actually transpired.

 

You can sign up for the plan at https://bit.ly/MC3-ReadYourBible-BibleRecap.

 

Important Information to Know About This Reading Plan

 

The Bible Recap plan comes with lots of other tools that you may find useful. One of the most important tools is a daily podcast that offers additional reflection and insight about the scripture you read.

 

Regretfully, the links to the daily podcast are not included in the daily devotion, but you can sign up for the podcast at this link:

 

http://www.thebiblerecap.com/podcast

 

When you sign up for the podcast via Google or Apple, you will see the podcast for today's date, which does not correspond with the day's reading. Yes, it' confusing, but if you simply scroll down the list of podcasts to the year 2022, you will find the reading for the Bible plan.

 

We will help simplify this process by including a list of the readings for each week in the newsletter. Here are the first seven readings:

 

Daily podcast for NT Day 1 (Day 274) - https://youtu.be/H2iI0N_ecZo

Daily podcast for NT Day 2 (Day 275) - https://youtu.be/MxTQNRgX_qs

Daily podcast for NT Day 3 (Day 276) - https://youtu.be/64y49_wAukg

Daily podcast for NT Day 4 (Day 277) - https://youtu.be/_ewxo5gF8xA

Daily podcast for NT Day 5 (Day 278) - https://youtu.be/ceAjUwbo7Zg

Daily podcast for NT Day 6 (Day 279) - https://youtu.be/67ZS6yVD0CE

Daily podcast for NT Day 7 (Day 280) - https://youtu.be/2a6D47VeTG0

Daily podcast for NT Day 8 (Day 281) - https://youtu.be/TngPIhMhaK8

 

In addition to the daily readings, there are a number of podcasts that you may find useful to prepare yourself to make the most of the plan. They include:

 

5 Prayers - https://youtu.be/HgCIzEP5nj4

Prep Episode 1 - https://youtu.be/6z-YiThxEDA

Prep Episode 2 - https://youtu.be/1xAUwAO_QJc

Prep Episode 3 - https://youtu.be/1xAUwAO_QJc

Prep Episode 4 - https://youtu.be/dQWFVQTBFws

Prep Episode 5 - https://youtu.be/Cq9K9LYvcGA

Prep Episode 6 - https://youtu.be/ard6H9k5Zy0

Luke - https://youtu.be/XIb_dCIxzr0

John - https://youtu.be/G-2e9mMf7E8

April 12, 2023 – Hello, parents!

 

If you’re looking for a couple of hours to yourself on a Friday night, then we’ve got the answer.

 

On Friday, April 21, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., MC3 Church will host a Parents Night Out/Kids Takeover event. MC3 will provide a FREE, FUN, SAFE and ACTIVE childcare service for children between the ages of 2 and the fifth grade. We will offer a snack, games and activities, all chaperoned and led by our ministry staff and adult leaders.

 

Due to space limitations, we can offer this event to only the first 50 people who sign up by our registration deadline of April 19.

 

We hope you’ll take advantage of this offer to enjoy a couple of free hours of time to yourself, while being assured that your child(ren) are thoroughly entertained and well supervised.

 

Direct any questions you have to youth@mc3.life.

Clockwise from left: New temporary entrance to the side of the building; Matt Spera is the construction superintendent for the MC3 remodeling project; stage demolition took place today.

 

 

April 12, 2023 – Monday marked the kickoff of MC3's remodeling program for our church home.

 

You can expect some disruption over the next few months. Starting Sunday, the front door will be closed and people will have to enter the building via the side door. A temporary entrance has been created as pictured above. Anyone arriving late will be directed to the rear entrance of the church.

 

Watch the exterior demolition video

 

On Monday, the stage was demolished to make way for the first phase of interior construction. On Tuesday, work began to tear off the front entrance to the building.

 

Parking in the small lot closest to the church will either be prohibited or restricted starting Sunday. In addition, the driveway to the back parking lot will be narrowed and marked by spikes, so please approach this area with caution if you park in the rear of the church.

 

Over the next few months, we will install a new stage and new storage rooms, remodel the café, paint and recarpet the entire building, and add a new front entrance. We expect the project to be completed in August.

 

If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, contact Jim Barber by email or at 404-268-6981.

April 11, 2023 – On the heels of last week's successful mission trip to India, SOAR Ministries has scheduled new opportunities for this summer in Brazil and New York.

 

Help teach English in Sao Paulo, Brazil - June 23-July 3.

• You do not have to be a teacher by trade; you will receive training. Cost is about $2,500.

Lead VBS in Yonkers, New York - July 8-15.

• This is a great trip for ages late elementary school and up. Share Christ and learn about Indian culture.

SOAR will assist you in raising funds, and MC3 has some financial assistance available as well. Contact Keri Duncan at kerid@soarministries.org for any questions.

Oct. 5, 2022

 

“Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a NEW THING. Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

- Isaiah 43:19

 

Dear MC3 Family,

 

This evening’s Vision Night experience gave the MC3 staff and elders an opportunity to share where the Lord is leading His church. It was a wonderful evening of worship, fellowship, prayer and learning.

 

MC3 can trace its roots to 1904. Ever since, the church has worked to win new people to Christ and meet the needs of our community. We have learned the importance of rebirth and renewal in the body of Christ as we face new challenges.

 

In 2018, we made the bold decision to rebrand the church as MC3 and sell our property on Old Stone Mountain Road. While searching for a new church property, we worshiped at Parkview High School, in the parking lot of our old church building, and at the Paxton Drive event hall—not to mention several months of online worship only when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020.

 

Through it all, we remained faithful and followed where the Lord was leading. In February, the Lord led us to our new church home. We are so incredibly blessed and want to stay in tune with the Lord’s guidance.

 

Tonight, we embraced a new vision and mission for MC3—to help people walk one step closer to Jesus. It’s simple, straightforward and captures what we want to do as a church family.

 

We will live out this vision by adhering to our values—what we call the three Cs:

 

Celebrate—Attending a weekly worship service.

Connect—Praying and reading Scripture daily, and joining a Connect (C) Group.

Commit—Serving and giving time, talent and money to the Lord.

 

As part of Vision Night, we outlined plans for investing in families and a $750,000 building and landscape renovation for our new church property at 4415 Stone Mountain Hwy.

 

We also announced that Commitment Sunday will take place Nov. 6. Commitment Sunday recognizes that nothing will happen without the Lord’s hand and guidance as MC3 moves forward in living out this new vision: Helping people walk one step closer to Jesus by Celebrating, Connecting and Committing to our Savior and His church. We want you and your family to be a part of what God is doing at MC3. We want to be united as a body of believers to make a Kingdom impact. As a result, Commitment Sunday will ask all our existing members and regular attenders to make a conscious decision to commit to MC3 and walk one step closer to Jesus together. We will be asking people to choose whether they want to remain or become members of MC3. And we will focus on baptizing new believers and rebaptizing those who feel the need for renewal. Look for more information in your mail in the next week.

 

We remain incredibly excited about where the Lord is leading MC3. The church has an important role to play in making Christ relevant to a lost world where He is desperately needed. We look forward to walking one step closer to Jesus with you on this amazing journey.

 

Yours in Christ,

Art Stansberry and the MC3 elders and staff