The founders of Celebration Church, one of the largest churches in the Jacksonville area, are in a legal dispute with the church that involves allegations of financial misconduct and fraud. View our Privacy Policy. Stovall Weems was seeking restoration of his salary and backpay. Create an account or sign in to your My Celebration Account to sign up! The News4JAX I-TEAM looked into what Celebration Church received in PPP money, which was distributed to help businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokeswoman for Weems said the church has about 300 employees. The Church is based in Jacksonville, Florida with other regional and international locations. They feel most alive when they are pouring back into others, and they seek to glorify God through their lives and . She said Weems invested $100,000 in the digital security platform TurnCoin to create a retirement fund for longtime church employees and that the investment is worth $1.5 million now, but that none of that was done with PPP money. Honey Lake Farms, LLC (which is different than the non-profit Honey Lake Farms, Inc.) is a for profit entity that was formed on the advice of the Churchs attorneys at Holland and Knight. $400,000) was used for the updating, repairs, and ordinary housing-related expenses such as furniture and landscaping. Celebration Church, one of the biggest churches in the Jacksonville area, on Monday released findings from an internal investigation into its founding pastor, Stovall Weems. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Celebration Church filed a motion to dismiss and accused Stovall Weems of financial misconduct, fraud and spiritual abuse. The Regency Park church will be a closer option for them. Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response, Transfers of church funds to new businesses the Weemses were going to manage, The churchs purchase of a parsonage for over $430,000 more than Stovall Weemss company had paid four months earlier when it bought the property, An advance of seven months salary to Stovall Weems and nine months salary to Kerri Weems even though neither one carried out the duties those salaries were for. In August 2011, a ceremony was held for its new location, a 7,000 square foot facility on 30 acres near 9A and Baymeadows Road. The suit and a response from a church attorney trade dueling claims of improprieties, including: Weems and his wife are asking Circuit Judge Marianne Aho for a court order that, among other things, would restore Weems to his lead role at the church the couple founded in 1998; restart his salary with back pay since January; and discard changes to church bylaws the trustees approved then that created a route to suspend him. According to a recent investigation carried out by the Nelson Mullins law firm, Weems personally benefited from unauthorized financial transactions and managed the church poorly. The dispute involves allegations of financial misconduct and fraud. He said he was "heavily involved" when Lundstrom Ramsey "made the decision to close the Sisseton office." Another one in the never ending line of evangelical power and money seekers that has (and will) left hurt, traumatized, abused people in the wake. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The founders of the 12,000-member Celebration Church are suing the Jacksonville megachurchs hand-picked trustees to avoid being ousted over claims of financial irregularities. The first violation, of Standard Two, concerns organizational governance and states that , Every organization shall be governed by a responsible board of not less than five individuals, a majority of whom shall be independent, who shall meet at least semiannually to establish policy and review its accomplishments., and its former senior pastor, Stovall Weems, have been plagued by scandals in recent months. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Neither allegation is true. Timberlake said in his sermon that the church is praying for a . . After that, it will be up to the trustees to decide whetheror how muchof the findings to make public. The single word used most frequently to describe Stovall Weems was narcissist. Nearly every witness we interviewed used that specific word, the report stated. Stovall and Kerri Weems founded Celebration Church in 1998 in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew it to some 12,000 members across several campuses. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A spokesperson for the founding pastors of Celebration Church, one of the largest churches in the Jacksonville area, says the couple did not misuse government Paycheck. The other part of the churchs investigation concerns the spiritual leadership of the Weemses, Wedekind said. Another recounted that an employee was instructed to purchase a car for Stovall Weems and deliver it to his home. They said through a spokesperson that the price difference on the parsonage reflected extensive updates, repairs and housing-related expenses they had paid for before selling it to the church. This transaction was performed with full transparency and in line with the amount approved by the Churchs compensation committee. Sara Brady, spokesperson for Stovall and Kerri Weems, The News4JAX I-TEAM reached back out to Celebration Church to see if it had a response to the Weemses spokespersons statement on Thursday. Administration of the Churchs PPP funds was controlled by the Churchs CFOs. The Weemses have until June 12 to provide a written response to the court. It was approved for $2,153,702 on April 6, 2020. Stovall and Kerri Weems are in a legal dispute. We believe that true life change happens in the context of community. Looking for a one-stop-shop of all the upcoming events happening here at Celebration? Meanwhile, the substantive allegations made in our Complaint about financial improprieties perpetrated by current Board members have gone unanswered. Groups that do have childcare options will have that listed in their groups description. The church should not have been funding renovations to a home that was owned by Kevin and not by the church, the lawsuit adds. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Dan Busby, Longest-Serving President of ECFA, Dies at 81. Fisher Koppenhafer Architecture and Interior Design is the architect. From hangouts to bible studies, large format to small groups, meeting out at a coffee shop or in somebody's home we have a place for every person that walks through the doors of Celebration Church to connect in community and build lasting relationships with others. For this reason, ECFA places much emphasis on strong, effective governance. According to Lambert, the church spends about $5 million per year (37% of the church budget) to maintain the church's properties. The filing lists the Weemses, Honey Lake Farms Inc., Weems Group LLC and Northstream Management LLC as defendants. The Roys Report reached out to Stovall Weems for comment, but did not hear back. Join us for Wednesday night services at all Jacksonville locations with hang-time from 6:30-7:00PM and service beginning at 7:00PM. The infamous denial of the mega church pastor continues, We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us, Complete lack of leadership accountability once again. Celebration Church Jacksonville Scandal. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. [1] and is led by Senior Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake. Less than two weeks after The Roys Report (TRR) published an investigation, revealing that Churchome, Judah Smiths celebrity megachurch, had rehired Braylon, An embattled New England megachurch yesterday announced its closing, following an investigation by The Roys Report detailing allegations of yearslong bullying and, In 2019, Braylon Oliver stepped away from pastoring the Downtown campus of Churchome, a so-called celebrity megachurch with campuses in Los Angeles. List of the largest Protestant churches in the USA, "Association of Related Churches - Find an ARC Church", "Church Breaks Ground on Future Home - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville", https://www.ecfa.org/MemberProfile.aspx?ID=45133, Celebration Church Online, an internet extension of Celebration Church, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Celebration_Church&oldid=1115781155, This page was last edited on 13 October 2022, at 05:08. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Celebration Church of Jacksonville released a report on Sunday about the investigation into the questionable financial practices of former pastor and founder Stovall. Kim Roberts May 3, 2022. Celebration Youth is our Middle and High School ministry for students. The church received $2,153,702 in federal stimulus monies which were later forgiven, data collected by ProPublica shows. Stovall and Kerri Weems are in a legal dispute with the church they founded in 1998. Example video title will go here for this video, In the News: National headlines for March 1, 2023. Missing with ARC (among others) are the requisite qualifications laid out in 1 Tim. I have first hand knowledge of the spiritual abuse within this organization. The church released a 22-page investigative report on. The investigation is largely focused on two different aspects of the Weems leadership, said Lee D. Wedekind III, a partner in the law firm Nelson Mullins. Currently, that investment is worth more than $1.5 million. Connection and life change may take time and can be found in open, honest conversations. In addition to financial compensation, the complaint asks for court action "prohibiting the publication or republication of the defamatory narrative and statements.". The spokeswoman said the Weemses never intended to get any money for themselves from that retirement fund. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This standard is designed to help organizations obtain and maintain a governing body that enhances an environment of accountability, maximizing excellence in carrying out the Lords work and minimizing susceptibility to structural breakdown.. An attorney for the church released the following statement: Celebration did not bring this lawsuit and does not intend to litigate it through the media. Email:[emailprotected] Thanks Mark, I feel bad for all the other people who got hurt by the church leaders. He and his wife told News4JAX that they had nothing to hide., We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us, their statement read in part. Celebration Church members have a right to know what is happening in their church and we have a right to be treated fairly.. In the suit, they allege trustees suspended Stovall Weems in retaliation for reporting financial misconduct by a church trustee and the churchs former CFO. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. The Church is based in Jacksonville, Florida with other regional and international locations. There has been zero, qualified accountability with this group. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? Simply walk into the main office door and let the receptionist know you are there to receive prayer. A hearing on the dismissal motion is scheduled for May 20. Peters words are so true! He said Celebration Church has a large number of congregants in the Arlington area who now drive to the main location on RG Skinner Parkway. It was a blessing when visiting pastors came because at least the Word preached at church that week. Duval County property records show Weems Group, LLC, which is registered to Kerri Weems and managed by Stovall Weems, according to the State of Floridas Division of Corporations, purchased a home on Shellcracker Road in the Black Hammock Island area of Jacksonville for $855,000 in February 2021. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Its other Northeast Florida campuses are in Westside-Orange Park, Julington Creek and Amelia Island. Too many are yes men and by the time they see something, they realize it shouldve been nipped a while back. Now they've finally tied the knot, Soccer's Orlando Pride ditches players' white shorts over period concerns, Rooftop bar and music venue planned for Bay Street, NASA made history by knocking an asteroid off course. The Weemses are accused of spiritually abusing church staff members, Wedekind said. The investigation found that many witnesses described intense personal anguish and pain caused by working for the Weemses., The investigative report said there were Office Hospitality sheets that were similar to over-the-top green room riders required by celebrities and that they reflected the Weemses immense entitlement and self-importance., Stovall Weems resigned from his positions in April. King said the church will feature a 1,000-seat sanctuary, a preschool and childrens wing for kindergarten through fifth grade, a large youth space and classrooms. If you need help with WJXTs or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801. The Weemses also said theyve been threatened with arrest if they come onto church property. He told his church that on Friday, Jesus Christ appeared to him at a church service. No PPP funds were utilized in the Turncoin investment. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Neither the PPP funds nor the Turncoin investment also had anything to do with Pastor Stovalls salary advance. Pastor Stovall and his wife, Kerri Weems, founded the Jacksonville church in 1998. Asked for comment on the new filing, Wedekind said Tuesday he was looking into how that should be handled. Attorney Gene Nichols, whose not affiliated with the case, reviewed the document. But Wedekind estimated more than 50 people worked at Celebrations multiple Jacksonville locations. was chosen to succeed Weems as the senior pastor of Celebration Church earlier this year. Who Will Pay for the SBCs Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? We know that some of this money was used to buy property, potentially as an investment and or something for the church, and you can expect the bank to try to foreclose on that property, he said. We remain focused on advancing the kingdom of God. --Wayland Wiseman, Executive Pastor, Celebration Church. They targeted young, impressionable, new believers who didnt have the spiritual maturity to see the leaders for what they truly are. Celebration Church filed a motion to dismiss the Weemses injunction and said the trustees requested an investigation into the founding pastors when they discovered the Weemses engaged in a series of questionable financial transactions without board knowledge or authorization in early 2021. personally benefited from unauthorized financial transactions and managed the church poorly. As contemplated all along by all parties involved, the home required various updating and repairs. To find the best group for you, simply click the advanced search tab under the group search bar and complete the filtered search. 1:53:02 Know. I think this is wrong. We encourage you to give the group you have signed up for time to develop and build relationships while having conversations with the group leader about what you may be able to expect from week to week. Tim Timberlake was named Weems successor to lead the nearly 12,000-member church. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. During that same four-month period, the median sales price for a Jacksonville-area single-family home rose 17 percent, to $330,000, according to the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. Celebration Church and its former senior pastor, Stovall Weems, have been plagued by scandals in recent months. Celebration is praying for a resolution for all parties involved, the statement said. "Celebration Church has been mine and my familys church home for close to ten years. What I have witnessed is more pastors are using their authority to control the narrative. What Happens Now? Wedekinds motion to dismiss said that, in December, the trustees had learned of worrisome financial transactions including the churchs purchase of a parsonage from a company that Weems controlled. The couples suit says the church was billed $18,000 per month as rent for a home Cormier owned that was being renovated and wasnt habitable. The Weemses lawsuit says Cormier, the president of a company that installs underground fueling systems, pledged to donate $1 million worth of in-kind services to Honey Lake Farms, where companies that Cormier controls were contracted for construction and land-management work beginning in 2018, before he was a trustee. And in September 2021, the Weemses officially transitioned from their position as lead pastors at Celebration to founding pastors. Venus and Jupiter are going in for a nighttime kiss, He proposed 60 years ago, then broke her heart. That was nearly completed when the lawsuit was filed, the statement said. To donate, Volk runs his own nonprofit Together For Israel, Former Pastor Accused of Rape Resigns from Churchome After TRR Investigation; Church Official Makes False Claims, Embattled Next Level Church Closes as More Demand Investigation & Audit, Judah Smiths Celebrity Megachurch Hires Man Accused of Rape Over Alleged Victims Objections, Why Businessman Peter Chung Matters for the Future of The Kings College. Then the trustee board suspended Weems and hired a law firm to investigate the Weemses alleged financial mismanagement and spiritual abuse. Siebeling is a senior pastor at The Life Church, an ARC-affiliated Tennessee megachurch, and Volk runs his own nonprofit Together For Israel. Tim and Jen Timberlake serve as the Senior Pastors of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. He was installed to succeed Stovall Weems months before the legal battle was made public. Perfectly said. Weve had a great relationship with Full Source and they were looking to expand their space here on Deerwood and simultaneously we were looking to move some of our operations to our hub (Arena) location, King said. In 2021, Stovall Weems transitioned out of the Senior Pastor role and into a Founding Pastor role. Weems resigned from the megachurch in April, but a lawsuit he and his wife, Kerri, filed in Februaryis still active. Its a shame because at the start, they had the right concept, but absolute power and money corrupt absolutely. $645,281 owed by Honey Lake Farms Inc. and guarantor Stovall Weems (loan and credit card accounts, plus interest, late charges and attorneys fees), $50,867 owed by Weems Group LLC (credit card No. But a lawyer representing the trustees says the dispute is none of the courts business, and that having a judge decide a fight about church leadership would violate protections in the U.S. Constitutions First and 14th Amendments. I pray under Timberlake, maybe they can return to preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everlasting Punishment! We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us. I watched the pastor move away from dependence on Christ, to emphasizing the muzzuzah, and hand signs. Childcare options vary per group. We believe true life change happens in the context of community and we welcome everyone to experience this together, no matter what church you call your home! The church alleges in a response to the Weemses suit that trustees discovered millions of dollars misspent through several large financial transactions the Weemses made in 2021 without telling the trustees. Instead of working for free, the suit says, Cormier billed the church about $700,000 early last year through a string of invoices with vague descriptions of the work performed and included requests for significant payments for work performed on Kevin Cormiers personal property.. The Weemses also said theyve been threatened with arrest if they enter church property. For more info on our latest happenings or to get involved, contact us at celebrationyouthjax@celebration.org or visit The Celebration App. Shameless , Thankless, money grabbers, arrogant, self willed , Covetous, proud, indulgent , deceptive, eyes full of adultery (spiritual)and empowered by doctrines of devils blind degenerate souls! The Regency Park church will be up to the court we remain focused on advancing kingdom! Are in Westside-Orange Park, Julington Creek and Amelia Island your browser only with consent. Was installed to succeed Weems as the Senior pastor role to dismiss and accused Stovall Weems and deliver it his! Westside-Orange Park, Julington Creek and Amelia Island Churchs compensation committee not affiliated with the amount by... Using a security service to protect itself from online attacks ) are the qualifications... 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