In 2018, Celebration Church's total revenue for the year was valued at a reported $13,639,193 by the ECFA,[4] and their total assets were valued at a reported $44,213,694. 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 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. That suggests a long term pattern, so why is that part only coming out in light of the financial issues? Venus and Jupiter are going in for a nighttime kiss, He proposed 60 years ago, then broke her heart. Childcare options vary per group. 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. The 2021 PPP funds were completely used up by the Churchs payroll. Too many are yes men and by the time they see something, they realize it shouldve been nipped a while back. Their own personal accounts and their own personal monies and any assets that they own personally could become an issue and could be something the bank could go after, he said. The Weems-managed entity, Honey Lake Farms LLC, appears to be part of a web of similarly named organizations surrounding a behavioral health clinic in Madison County created through Celebration five years ago. Looking for a one-stop-shop of all the upcoming events happening here at Celebration? The Jacksonville-based church will lease almost 40,000 square feet of space adjacent to and behind Books-A-Million, according to a site plan by landlord Brixmor Property Group Inc., based in New York. Throughout each day we have pastors and a prayer team on stand-by if you should need to stop in to have someone pray with you. Spokesperson for Stovall and Kerri Weems says funds were used for legally allowed purposes, 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 PPP loan proceeds to fund the Weems-managed entity Honey Lake Farms, LLC and to purchase TurnCoin, an illiquid, speculative digital currency, (Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. Therefore, the Church purchased the home from The Weems Group at the $1.3 million price. But Wedekind estimated more than 50 people worked at Celebrations multiple Jacksonville locations. The founders of Jacksonvilles Celebration Church are suing the church, its trustees and a lawyer for defamation as fallout spreads from a legal fight sparked by Stovall Weemssuspension from his leadership post. Many of those older folks, like me, gave years of our lives to help grow that church, only to be pushed aside. No One Knows. Tim and Jen Timberlake serve as the Senior Pastors of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. 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. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Celebration is praying for a resolution for all parties involved, and is confident in Gods plan for the church and that ultimately the truth will prevail. was chosen to succeed Weems as the senior pastor of Celebration Church earlier this year. In 2021, Stovall Weems transitioned out of the Senior Pastor role and into a Founding Pastor role. Rizzo is the executive director of ARC and missions pastor at Church of the Highlands, another scandal-plagued ARC church. [2] The first services in the new "Celebration Arena" was held November 11, 2012.[3]. It is a member of the Association of Related Churches. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. The spokeswoman said the Weemses never intended to get any money for themselves from that retirement fund. She has home schooled her three children and is happily married to her husband of 25 years. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Pastor Stovall Weems, one of the founders of Celebration Church, has resigned. Then the trustees suspended him. I left because the Word was replaced with Michael Heiser teachings. 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. 3:1-8. 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. If time and conversations are not leading to a great group fit, please reach out to the contact listed below and we would be happy to help you find a group for you! 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. I have first hand knowledge of the spiritual abuse within this organization. "Celebration Church has been mine and my familys church home for close to ten years. After that, it will be up to the trustees to decide whetheror how muchof the findings to make public. 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. As thatinvestigation remains ongoing, the church does not intend to make any further comments about it at this time. 77.245.154.222 In February, after Stovall Weems was suspended, the Weemses filed suit against Celebration Church, alleging the church retaliated against them for reporting financial misconduct. Example video title will go here for this video, In the News: National headlines for March 1, 2023. The leadership as a whole sucks and the unsaved world lives better. 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. Sometime early this year, AWKNG TV shut down. This can be a good thing but it takes away their accountability. The other thing is when pastors believe their accountability should be in light of other pastors. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. The couple want to allow for a full and thorough investigation of any and all wrongdoing involving the churchs board of trustees, present and former officers, employees, and other parties and organizations that contributed to the dispute, said a suit filed last month by the Weemses attorney, Christopher J. Greene. Click here and search groups under your location! Join us for Wednesday night services at all Jacksonville locations with hang-time from 6:30-7:00PM and service beginning at 7:00PM. Cormier also rented the church another house, but billed the church $137,871 for renovations, the suit said. Celebration Church @CelebrationChurch_org 46K subscribers Home Videos Shorts Live Playlists Community Channels About LATEST MESSAGE The latest message from Celebration Church. We believe that true life change happens in the context of community. That was nearly completed when the lawsuit was filed, the statement said. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. We offer a wide variety of mens, womens, bible/book study, dinner parties, activity-based groups, and more! 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. Hey Rob. Then the trustee board suspended Weems and hired a law firm to investigate the Weemses alleged financial mismanagement and spiritual abuse. Great! Like many ARC churches, Celebration Churchs bylaws require overseers, who must be ordained pastors at other churches. 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. 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. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Sarah Palin in a libel suit against the New York Times. 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. 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. 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.. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The former pastors of Celebration Church owe more than $716,000, according to a lawsuit filed by First Citizens Bank. Celebration Church is a global, multi-site church located in Jacksonville, Florida. Cormier said by email Tuesday that the claims against him are baseless. Fisher Koppenhafer Architecture and Interior Design is the architect. The city is reviewing a permit application for a $125,000 remodel of the space at 9400 Atlantic Blvd., Nos. It was a blessing when visiting pastors came because at least the Word preached at church that week. 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! JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The former pastors of Celebration Church owe more than $716,000, according to a lawsuit filed by First Citizens Bank. The Central Church Offices are open Monday-Thursday from 9am-5pm. For this reason, ECFA places much emphasis on strong, effective governance. The Church is based in Jacksonville, Florida with other regional and international locations. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. 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. The Weemses filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief against Celebration Church. Familiar minds think alike. 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. ECFA Standard Four relates to a ministrys use of resources and compliance with laws. Performance & security by Cloudflare. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Celebration Church responded to Weemses lawsuit by asking the court to dismiss it, partly on religious liberty grounds. The Jacksonville-based church will lease almost 40,000 square feet of space adjacent to and behind Books-A . Attorney Gene Nichols, whose not affiliated with the case, reviewed the document. What I have witnessed is more pastors are using their authority to control the narrative. But we also look forward to serving the entire community who may not be familiar with Celebration yet, King said. The Asbury Revival Is Over. In the days following that action, Stovall Weems removed one of the trustees and tried to remove two others, court filings show. The dispute involves allegations of financial misconduct and fraud. The 71-page filing said Stovall and Kerri Weems and their businesses have defaulted on payments. Pastor Drew King, chief business officer of Celebration Church, said the church will open in the summer. However, in 2020, the Weemses launched AWKNG TV, a Christian not-for-profit streaming network. 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. After the employee delivered the car as demanded, Stovall Weems told him to find his own ride home, the report reads. There are certain allegations regarding what I can best characterize as spiritual abuse.. 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. Anyway, just wanted to encourage you that what you did for the Lord there is lasting. Wells without water clouds without rain, they are the foam of the ocean washed up upon the shores ! In addition to financial compensation, the complaint asks for court action "prohibiting the publication or republication of the defamatory narrative and statements.". He also said the Timberlakes had effectively been functioning as lead pastors for about a year by the time the transition became official. There has been zero, qualified accountability with this group. We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us. A spokeswoman for Weems said the church has about 300 employees. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The churchs investigation has uncovered ample documentation to support the positions in its motion to dismiss, and Celebration remains confident that the truth will ultimately prevail. Lee Wedekind, attorney for Celebration Church, Celebration Church released a statement to News4JAX on Wednesday for our initial reporting on this case: Celebration Church has grown and thrived since Pastor Tim Timberlake became the churchs spiritual leaderin September2021. He was installed to succeed Stovall Weems months before the legal battle was made public. According to Lambert, the church spends about $5 million per year (37% of the church budget) to maintain the church's properties. The Weems Group LLC purchased the home at $855,000. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. Trigger this block including submitting a certain Word or phrase, a not-for-profit... The unsaved world lives better with your prayers and financial gifts car as demanded, Stovall Weems told to! The ocean washed up upon the shores consent prior to running these cookies may affect your browsing.. 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