It was approved for $2,153,702 on April 6, 2020. Everlasting Punishment! The spokeswoman said the Weemses never intended to get any money for themselves from that retirement fund. Sarah Einselen is an award-winning writer and editor based in Texas. Our investigation is ongoing and will not be impeded. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. All of them ! To sign up for a group, please follow these instructions: 3. 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. Neither the PPP funds nor the Turncoin investment also had anything to do with Pastor Stovalls salary advance. It's big, with about 12,000 members who attend nondenominational services at around 10 far-flung locations or join in online. Celebration Church is a global, multi-site church located in Jacksonville, Florida. Celebration Church said in its motion to dismiss that the board of trustees did not have knowledge of or give authorization to the purchase of property that was designated as church parsonage for the Weemses. Tim Timberlake has been leading Celebration Church since last year. Cormier said by email Tuesday that the claims against him are baseless. I watched the pastor move away from dependence on Christ, to emphasizing the muzzuzah, and hand signs. What I have witnessed is more pastors are using their authority to control the narrative. This can be a good thing but it takes away their accountability. The motion outlines four areas of concern: A spokesperson for the Weemses told the News4JAX I-TEAM that no PPP funds went to Honey Lake Farms LLC. They created a cult like following of the pastor, who absolutely designed the organization to operate in that manner. "I have and will continue to cooperate with the churchs investigation which has included the collection of documentation" about the claim, Cormier said. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. Sherman, I went there for about a 2 years because I wanted to see what my grandchildren were being taught. Celebration Youth is our Middle and High School ministry for students. . Too many are yes men and by the time they see something, they realize it shouldve been nipped a while back. The Asbury Revival Is Over. 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. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved. Celebration Churchcontinues to stand by the validity and authenticity of the board investigation, he said. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. 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. Even then, $5 million is still not enough to adequately maintain the campus, he said. 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. It said Honey Lake Farms LLC is different than the nonprofit Honey Lake Farms, Inc. and never had a bank account. as required for Public Notices per section 50.011 (1)(e), F.S. 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. The findings could be presented to the church trustees as early as next month, he said. 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! A civil court hearing on the case between the Weemses and Celebration Church is scheduled for May 31. This isnt Apple, Coca-Cola, General Motors, etc.! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. These cookies do not store any personal information. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and coaching high school extemporaneous speaking and debate. Celebration Church and its former senior pastor, Stovall Weems, have been plagued by scandals in recent months. 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. No contractor is listed. Siebeling is a senior pastor at The Life Church, an ARC-affiliated Tennessee megachurch, and Volk runs his own nonprofit Together For Israel. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! Familiar minds think alike. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. 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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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. They feel most alive when they are pouring back into others, and they seek to glorify God through their lives and . Celebration Church @CelebrationChurch_org 46K subscribers Home Videos Shorts Live Playlists Community Channels About LATEST MESSAGE The latest message from Celebration Church. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Weemses denied misusing the PPP funds and the other alleged financial missteps in an extensive statement to News4JAX. In February, after Stovall Weems was suspended, the Weemses filed suit against Celebration Church, alleging the church retaliated against them for reporting financial misconduct. 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. Its office and Celebration College are at 10302 Deerwood Park Blvd. Celebration Church is preparing to open an Arlington campus at the Regency Park Shopping Center in the former Hobby Lobby space. City building inspection records don't reflect any permits issued at the house last year. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. Missing with ARC (among others) are the requisite qualifications laid out in 1 Tim. [1] and is led by Senior Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake. No criminal charges have been filed in this case. 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. That suggests a long term pattern, so why is that part only coming out in light of the financial issues? What Happens Now? JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The former pastors of Celebration Church owe more than $716,000, according to a lawsuit filed by First Citizens Bank. Included as an exhibit to the trustees motion to dismiss, a Jan. 4 email apparently sent from Weems to trustee Kevin Cormier and copied to other church leaders speaks of behavior related to fraudulent billing, criminal usury and possible embezzlement. YOUTH. If you need help with WJXTs or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801. In addition to $100,000 invested in TurnCoin for Celebration, the report said investments were made on behalf of two church spinoff organizations, Honey Lake Farms and AWKNG, as well as. In the days following that action, Stovall Weems removed one of the trustees and tried to remove two others, court filings show. Open sin with no sense of remorse or wrong doing ! He says that if Weemses dont pay back what they owe, their personal or business assets could be seized. Defendants launched their outrageous, libelous attack after Pastor Weems had already resigned and completely separated himself and his family from Celebration Church, said the complaint by Tampa-based attorney Shane B. Vogt, who previouslyrepresented former Alaska Gov. 3:1-8. He said he resigned because cannot be legally connected to any church in which the leadership abandons the clear biblical principles and spiritual qualifications for spiritual covering, spiritual authority, and ecclesiastical governance and oversight.. The first violation, of Standard Two, concerns organizational governance and states that "Every organization shall be governed . The spokeswoman for Weems said the church's audited financial reports certified that the PPP money was used for purposes the law allowed. We remain focused on advancing the kingdom of God., Spirit flight makes emergency landing in Jacksonville after fire in overhead bin, No charges filed in death of postal worker mauled by dogs in Putnam County, Local Weather: The heat holds as windy becomes the weather word Friday, Weather is 95% favorable for a liftoff tonight, but teams are keeping an eye on weather along Dragons ascent corridor, WWII Veteran celebrates his 100th birthday in Corpus Christi, 'Memories become treasures' | Family, friends pay tribute to Tristyn Bailey at 'Celebration of Life', Loved ones remember DMX at homegoing celebration. Sarah Palin, Bank sues Celebration Church founders for $716,000 in business debts, credit card bills, Celebration Church founder Stovall Weems quits, vows to 'continue our ministry elsewhere', Celebration Church, founder Stovall Weems embroiled in legal dispute, committing fraud, [and] unjustly enriching himself at the expense of the church., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. My recommendation to them may be to produce something publicly, Wedekind said, whether the full findings or a summary of some sort. Celebration Church members have a right to know what is happening in their church and we have a right to be treated fairly.. Create an account or sign in to your My Celebration Account to sign up! Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. The 71-page filing said Stovall and Kerri Weems and . I look forward to a solution that honors God above all else. 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. A hearing scheduled for Tuesday was canceled but new attorneys for the couple filed an amended complaint that said a scurrilous narrative and false and defamatory statements were circulated to discredit and humiliate them. When Is A Bible Translation Not A Bible Translation? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Stovall and Kerri Weems say they are whistleblowers and victims of retaliation by the church they foundedCelebration Church, a multi-site megachurch in Florida formerly part of the Association of Related Churches (ARC). 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