Familiar minds think alike. I watched the pastor move away from dependence on Christ, to emphasizing the muzzuzah, and hand signs. 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. Celebration Churchcontinues to stand by the validity and authenticity of the board investigation, he said. First Baptist Jacksonville commissioned a study in recent months to figure out what the church must do to update its facilities. 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 operations in Europe and Africa. 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. The spokeswoman said the Weemses never intended to get any money for themselves from that retirement fund. The founding pastor of Celebration Church, one of the largest churches in Jacksonville, announced Monday hes resigned from his positions amid a legal battle with the churchs trustees. The church paid just under $1.3 million for the home on Black Hammock Island in June 2021, about 50 percent more than Weems company paid for the home in February 2021, according to property records. Celebration Church, a 12,000-member megachurch near Jacksonville, Florida, has released findings from an internal investigation into its founder, Pastor Stovall Weems, local media has reported. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Pastor Stovall and his wife, Kerri Weems, founded the Jacksonville church in 1998. These emails establish . 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. Regency Park is anchored by Ollies Furniture Outlet, American Signature Furniture, Bealls Outlet and, in development, Surplus Warehouse. We are being retaliated against and have been denied a proper investigation according to long-held church by-laws. 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. Celebration Church Jacksonville Scandal. When Is A Bible Translation Not A Bible Translation? Details havent been released about financial arrangements mentioned in the suit, but portions of court filings mention them ominously. And people wonder why the nones continue to grow while those affiliated with evangelicalism and Christianity decline. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? The Weemses have until June 12 to provide a written response to the court. 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. The single word used most frequently to describe Stovall Weems was narcissist. Nearly every witness we interviewed used that specific word, the report stated. ), 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. The I-TEAM talked with a local attorney about what the newest court filing could mean for the Weemses and their businesses. The Weemses also said theyve been threatened with arrest if they come onto church property. The church claims the Weemses used PPP monies to fund a business they managed and to buy cryptocurrency. In the suit, they allege trustees suspended Stovall Weems in retaliation for reporting financial misconduct by a church trustee and the churchs former CFO. was chosen to succeed Weems as the senior pastor of Celebration Church earlier this year. Founders of the 12,000-member Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, Stovall Weems and his wife, Kerri, have filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction that would force the megachurch to recognize Weems as their chief executive officer and settle dueling claims of financial fraud involving hundreds of thousands of dollars. We believe that true life change happens in the context of community. Church officials havent publicly announced the rift with Weems but prepared a statement for members who inquired that said trustees had placed Weems in not good standing while an internal investigation was done. 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. Hobby Lobby moved to Parkway Shops in River City Marketplace in 2015 and also opened a store at The Strand at Town Center. The filing lists the Weemses, Honey Lake Farms Inc., Weems Group LLC and Northstream Management LLC as defendants. Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate from Baylor University. 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. Pastor Drew King, chief business officer of Celebration Church, said the church will open in the summer. The 71-page filing said Stovall and Kerri Weems and their businesses have defaulted on payments. View our Privacy Policy. Tim Timberlake was named Weems successor to lead the nearly 12,000-member church. To see which groups meet online, look for the MEETS ONLINE tag at the top of the group photo or simply search meets online in the group search bar. Stovall and Kerri Weems released a statement to News4JAX on Wednesday: We could never have imagined that the church we started and nurtured for nearly 25 years would be seized by individuals whom we believe are prioritizing their individual interests in power and money ahead of their duties to Celebration Church and its mission. "I have and will continue to cooperate with the churchs investigation which has included the collection of documentation" about the claim, Cormier said. The allegations of spiritual abuse are kind of a head scratcher because that doesnt just happen when you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar. What is Celebration Church? He even spoke about his experience in a recording of his church's Sunday service, which is posted on YouTube. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Celebration Church, one of the biggest churches in the Jacksonville area, on Monday released findings from an internal investigation into its founding pastor, Stovall. What sickens me is these churches got tax payor money and dont pay a dime of taxes. No PPP funds were utilized in the Turncoin investment. Pastor Drew King, chief business officer of Celebration Church, said the church will open in the summer. Tim and Jen Timberlake serve as the Senior Pastors of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. 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.. We highly encourage you to use the advanced search tab under the group search bar to help you find the best group for you. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. 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. What I have witnessed is more pastors are using their authority to control the narrative. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. [1] and is led by Senior Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake. No PPP funds went to Honey Lake Farms, LLC. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. Administration of the Churchs PPP funds was controlled by the Churchs CFOs. 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. Click to reveal Global Senior . 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.. He also said the Timberlakes had effectively been functioning as lead pastors for about a year by the time the transition became official. The Asbury Revival Is Over. For this reason, ECFA places much emphasis on strong, effective governance. The church was affiliated with the ARC as recently as last year. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. A spokeswoman for Weems said the church has about 300 employees. It is a non-operational entity to which no money was ever transferred and in fact, has never had a bank account. 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., ECFA Standard Four relates to a ministrys use of resources and compliance with laws. 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. Cormier said by email Tuesday that the claims against him are baseless. Anyway, just wanted to encourage you that what you did for the Lord there is lasting. 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. 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. Celebration Church is a global, multi-site church located in Jacksonville, Florida. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The Regency Park church will be a closer option for them. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Since . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. One part of the investigation concerns financial transactions made between January and June 2021, when there were no board meetings conducted, Wedekind said. 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. The church included emails between Stovall Weems and trustees that it said backed up its version of events. Hi. 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