The Weemses are asking the court to force Celebration Church to reinstate them and give them back pay, along with certain other measures. Then the trustees suspended him. The Weemses sued Celebration Church the month after the church launched its investigation. I pray under Timberlake, maybe they can return to preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Familiar minds think alike. Weems has filed suit against the church claiming he was illegally removed from leadership, but Timberlake has assured the church that he will continue to lead with integrity, godly character, love, honor, and excellence.. Sarah Einselen is an award-winning writer and editor based in Texas. They filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief against Celebration Church, alleging a church trustee was improperly billing the church for construction-type services at its Honey Lake Farms property in Madison County and turned the other trustees against him, leading to Stovall Weems suspension. The 71-page filing said Stovall and Kerri Weems and . Its always been about the money, down to the precise timing of the services to get as many people in and out. Looking for a one-stop-shop of all the upcoming events happening here at Celebration? Weems has filed suit against the church claiming he was illegally removed from leadership, but Timberlake has assured the church that he will , continue to lead with integrity, godly character, love, honor, and excellence., Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), God is Queer, Duke Divinity Students Proclaim. Kim Roberts May 3, 2022. When the wolves all surround themselves with other wolves, and are accountable only to those wolves, what should we expect? Like many ARC churches, Celebration Churchs bylaws require overseers, who must be ordained pastors at other churches. This is how Celebration planned to use the money, based on data from the lender when the loan was originated: The News4JAX I-TEAM asked a spokesperson for Stovall and Kerri Weems to respond specifically to the allegations of misuse of PPP money. We have many groups that meet virtually as well as hybrid groups that meet in-person and virtually. While the investigation consists mostly of reviewing documents, Wedekind estimates a dozen to 15 people have been interviewed as well. Our team has spent months praying for and developing a Youth Conference that's goal is to change the lives of middle and high school students, as well as equipping youth pastors, leaders, and teams to walk in all that God has called them to be. The report said one witness detailed, often through tears, instances when Stovall Weems personally belittled and humiliated them for minor mistakes or misunderstanding Stovall Weems inconsistent and confusing directives., Another reported that Stovall Weems instructed an employee to drive to a liquor store late at night and deliver a bottle of bourbon to his house because he did not want to be seen purchasing liquor.. Celebration Church members have a right to know what is happening in their church and we have a right to be treated fairly.. The Jacksonville-based church will lease almost 40,000 square feet of space adjacent to and behind Books-A . Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of "Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse" by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. She has home schooled her three children and is happily married to her husband of 25 years. . 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 second phase of the project will include a 1,000-seat youth facility, church offices, adult classrooms and a wedding chapel. Too many are yes men and by the time they see something, they realize it shouldve been nipped a while back. 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. It is so few because people want a relevant pastor and church. Celebration Church Jacksonville ScandalMegachurch Pastor Stovall Weems Said Jesus Came to Him . Therefore, the Church purchased the home from The Weems Group at the $1.3 million price. On both sides! A hearing in the case is set for May 20, court records show. It said trustees "were fully aware thatPastor Weems had not engaged in any misconduct" but "agreed with Cormier's seditious plot to banish" the pastor. So simply put, we sold our building to Full Source, will expand at the Arena, and will move our current functions happening at Deerwood Park there, he said. It was approved for $2,153,702 on April 6, 2020. 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. Ameris Bank issued a $6.3 million mortgage to Full Source for the property, which records show is a 78,432-square-foot building on almost 2 acres. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. No more needs to be said for a House of Hell reserved for. Pastors Tim and Jen have a heart for God's people and equipping them with the tools to transform their lives from the inside out. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. These emails establish . My recommendation to them may be to produce something publicly, Wedekind said, whether the full findings or a summary of some sort. Everlasting Punishment! Global Senior Pastor Stovall Weems and his wife, Kerri, say in their lawsuit that Weems was wrongly suspended from his post in January after a trustee falsely claimed that Pastor Stovall was improperly manipulating and misdirecting the churchs finances., In reality, the suit argues, Weems had confronted the trustee after discovering fraud on the church and the trustee reacted by feeding the other trustees and senior church members lies and misinformation.. The church argued that the couples suit presents the latest chapter in a campaign of deception, manipulation, distraction, and abuse of power by Stovall and Kerri Weems against Celebration.. Headquartered off Baymeadows Road near Interstate 295, Celebration has grown exponentially to include locations in Amelia Island, Orlando, South Florida, North Carolina and Washington, D.C., plus. Celebration Church hired a law firm to conduct an internal investigation, and it released the findings in late April. $700,000 in improper billing by the trustee; misuse of more than $1 million from the federal governments pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program; and a 50-percent markup over four months on the price of a home a Weems company sold the church as a parsonage. 2), $18,989 owed by Northstream Management Group LLC (credit card), Multiple large transfers to new for-profit entities that the Weemses intended to manage going forward, Churchs purchase of a parsonage (in which Stovall and Kerri Weems were to live rent-free) for $1,286,863.30 that a company solely owned by Stovall Weems had bought four months earlier for $855,000, Advancement of nine months salary to Kerri Weems and seven months salary to Stovall Weems in violation of Florida statute and the churchs own internal policies, despite neither Stovall nor Kerri Weems performing the duties of the offices that purportedly justified those salaries, Improper use of over $1,000,000 in Paycheck Protection Program, spokesperson for the Weemses told the News4JAX I-TEAM, assuring the congregation that the church is OK. The new complaint seeks damages from the church andtrustees Kevin Cormier, Marcus Rowe, Angela Cannon and Jacob William as well as attorney Lee Wedekind III, who represented the church in answering the Weemses original lawsuit and seeking to have the court case dismissed. Timberlake said in his sermon that the church is praying for a . as required for Public Notices per section 50.011 (1)(e), F.S. In February, after Stovall Weems was suspended, the Weemses filed suit against Celebration Church, alleging the church retaliated against them for reporting financial misconduct. 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. Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. 1), $984 owed by Weems Group LLC (credit card No. Hey Rob. The Weemses filed a request on March 15 for Celebration Church to produce the following documents within 30 days: READ: Stovall and Kerri Weems request to produce. 3:1-8. None of the questionable transactions were approved by the trustees, Wedekind wrote, although the Weemses lawsuit said the parsonage was approved by the churchs compensation committee, which included trustees. Celebration Church, a megachurch in Jacksonville, Florida, has had its membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) terminated for violating two of its standards. To donate, click here. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! Celebration Church is a member of the Association of Related Churches and aims to lead people to experience a God-First life. The Weemses spokesperson released this statement to News4JAX on Thursday about the purchase of that property: Pastor Stovalls parsonage allowance as approved by the Board of Trustees, was approximately $1.3 million which included the price of the property and expected improvements. The celebration.org site shows that Celebration Churchs main campus is at 9555 RG Skinner Parkway, in the Baymeadows area. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. The founders of the 12,000-member Celebration Church are suing the Jacksonville megachurch's hand-picked trustees to avoid being ousted over claims of financial irregularities. 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.. Where did the PPP money go? After the initial lawsuit drew public attention, the church released a report that claimed Weems had been committing fraud, [and] unjustly enriching himself at the expense of the church., The new complaint says the report was bogus and that Weems and his wife are trying now to clear their names and expose how the seditionists now in control [of] Celebration Church maliciously and unjustifiably ruined Plaintiffs ability to work in their chosen profession.. Religious Freedom Updates Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. The Church is based in Jacksonville, Florida with other regional and international locations. personally benefited from unauthorized financial transactions and managed the church poorly. Now, it's publishing the data, Author Kate Zernike dissects the years-long fight for gender equality at MIT. He even spoke about his experience in a recording of his church's Sunday service, which is posted on YouTube. The I-TEAM talked with a local attorney about what the newest court filing could mean for the Weemses and their businesses. Every organization shall exercise the appropriate management and controls necessary to provide reasonable assurance that all of the organizations operations are carried out and resources are used in a responsible manner and in conformity with applicable laws and regulations, such conformity taking into account biblical mandates, it states. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Stovall and Kerri Weems founded Celebration Church in 1998 in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew it to some 12,000 members across several campuses. The spokesperson also said PPP funds were not utilized in the TurnCoin investment. At stake is control of the churchthe essence of a religious controversy into which this court is prohibited from intervening, attorney Lee Wedekind III wrote last week when he asked Aho to dismiss the case. Find more information on upcoming services, workshops, and ministry events. Tim Timberlake has been leading Celebration Church since last year. To find the best group for you, simply click the advanced search tab under the group search bar and complete the filtered search. Now the church and the Weemses, who are former members of ARCs Lead Team, are caught up in a legal battle even as an investigation is underway into the Weemses alleged misconduct. Celebration Church is preparing to open an Arlington campus at the Regency Park Shopping Center in the former Hobby Lobby space. Thanks Mark, I feel bad for all the other people who got hurt by the church leaders. Any and all documents supporting your allegation that Pastor Stovall made multiple large transfers to new for-profit entities that the Weemses intended to manage going forward including but not limited to bank records and written communications. Nichols says cases like these usually are resolved before they end up going to trial. . The letter from the church board removing him said Weems was being removed for "possible improper financial practices and/or failure to fulfill duties and responsibilities as senior pastor." Celebration Church filed a motion to dismiss the injunction, News4 Jacksonville. Create an account or sign in to your My Celebration Account to sign up! Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The church 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. The filing lists the Weemses, Honey Lake Farms Inc., Weems Group LLC and Northstream Management LLC as defendants. . 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. 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 Protection Program (PPP) money as the church alleges in a court filing. Toll free: (866) 364-9980, Gospel for Asia Files for Creditor Protection, MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT: Way Media Inc. (WayFM). It is a non-operational entity to which no money was ever transferred and in fact, has never had a bank account. When a ministry encounters failureor even worse, scandalits difficulties can almost always be traced to a breakdown in governance, ECFA says in explaining Standard Two. ), Sky 4 photo of Stovall and Kerri Weems' home, Any and all meeting minutes, agenda, and board resolutions, and any drafts thereof, of Board of Trustees meetings held between January 1, 2017 through present, Any and all documents relating to Pastor Stovall and Kerris compensation packages from 2017 through the present, including but not limited to written agreements and records of payment from the Church to them, Any and all documents relating to the churchs 2021 purchase of the parsonage from an entity controlled by Pastor Stovall as alleged on page 9 of the Motion To Dismiss. Scandals have lately surrounded ARC-affiliated churches and even the ARC itself, arguably North Americas biggest church planting organization. READ: Stovall and Kerri Weems injunction. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? Access to MinistryWatch content is free. To make a donation,click here. The Roys Report reached out to Stovall Weems for comment, but did not hear back. The former pastors of Celebration Church owe more than $716,000, according to a lawsuit filed by First Citizens Bank. After the employee delivered the car as demanded, Stovall Weems told him to find his own ride home, the report reads. $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. They also said the crypto investment was for a retirement fund for church employees, and wasnt made with PPP funds. We have always wanted to have a Celebration Church campus in the Regency/Arlington area of Jacksonville but havent found the perfect location until now, King said by email. She has home schooled her three children and is happily married to her husband of years. Journalists continue to report the truth and restore the Church is preparing to open an Arlington campus the. - all rights reserved would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to our... Of space adjacent to and behind Books-A our Lord Jesus Christ to find his own ride home the. 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