First Baptist Jacksonville commissioned a study in recent months to figure out what the church must do to update its facilities. Celebration Church sold the Deerwood Park Boulevard property Dec. 11 to Full Source LLC for $7 million. 1:53:02 Know. We are being retaliated against and have been denied a proper investigation according to long-held church by-laws. I have first hand knowledge of the spiritual abuse within this organization. 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. 77.245.154.222 For this reason, ECFA places much emphasis on strong, effective governance. 8, 8A and 9. An investigation is underway. ", Celebration Church (Courtesy of the Florida Times-Union), Celebration is praying for a resolution for all parties involved, a statement from the church said. [2] The first services in the new "Celebration Arena" was held November 11, 2012.[3]. For the First Phase, the $15 million building project features a 3,000 seat capacity in an arena-style sanctuary, with broadcasting and audio visual capabilities. The church included emails between Stovall Weems and trustees that it said backed up its version of events. But we also look forward to serving the entire community who may not be familiar with Celebration yet, King said. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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. 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. Look up! The Churchs 2020 audited financials certifies that the Church utilized the PPP funds in accordance with their legally allowed purposes. Create an account or sign in to your My Celebration Account to sign up! 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. 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. He was suspended by the governing board earlier this year. Celebration Church on the Southside of Jacksonville. Previous coverage: Bank sues Celebration Church founders for $716,000 in business debts, credit card bills, Church founder leaves: Celebration Church founder Stovall Weems quits, vows to 'continue our ministry elsewhere', 'At stake is control of the church': Celebration Church, founder Stovall Weems embroiled in legal dispute. 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. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. 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. 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. It is a member of the Association of Related Churches. All of them ! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. [1] and is led by Senior Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake. 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. Pastor Drew King, chief business officer of Celebration Church, said the church will open in the summer. The motion outlines four areas of concern: READ: Celebration Churchs motion to dismiss. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Sara Brady gave the following response on behalf of the Weemses: The Motion to Dismiss alleges that more than $1 million in PPP money went to fund Honey Lake Farms, LLC and to purchase Turncoin. Neither allegation is true. Administration of the Churchs PPP funds was controlled by the Churchs CFOs. Hey Rob. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. The celebration.org site shows that Celebration Churchs main campus is at 9555 RG Skinner Parkway, in the Baymeadows area. Celebration Arena [ edit] Two former overseers, Dino Rizzo and John Siebeling, resigned in September 2021, and the church argues that a third, Scott Volk, wasnt qualified. The trustees didnt have the authority to discipline Weems, according to the Weemses lawsuit. Pastors Stovall and Kerri never intended to receive any money from this investment. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and coaching high school extemporaneous speaking and debate. My recommendation to them may be to produce something publicly, Wedekind said, whether the full findings or a summary of some sort. 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. was chosen to succeed Weems as the senior pastor of Celebration Church earlier this year. By clicking "Accept", you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 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. 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. 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. It is a non-operational entity to which no money was ever transferred and in fact, has never had a bank account. 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. In 2021, Stovall Weems transitioned out of the Senior Pastor role and into a Founding Pastor role. A spokeswoman for Weems said the pastor wouldnt have any comment and that the court filing speaks for itself., said a scurrilous narrative and false and defamatory statements, represented former Alaska Gov. Then the trustees suspended him. The spokeswoman for Weems said the church's audited financial reports certified that the PPP money was used for purposes the law allowed. He even spoke about his experience in a recording of his church's Sunday service, which is posted on YouTube. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Groups that do have childcare options will have that listed in their groups description. If you need help with WJXTs or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801. 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. 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. Celebration Church @CelebrationChurch_org 46K subscribers Home Videos Shorts Live Playlists Community Channels About LATEST MESSAGE The latest message from Celebration Church. Looking for a one-stop-shop of all the upcoming events happening here at Celebration? Another recounted that an employee was instructed to purchase a car for Stovall Weems and deliver it to his home. 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. 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. When Is A Bible Translation Not A Bible Translation? 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 feel most alive when they are pouring back into others, and they seek to glorify God through their lives and . 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. He says that if Weemses dont pay back what they owe, their personal or business assets could be seized. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate from Baylor University. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved. City building inspection records don't reflect any permits issued at the house last year. As contemplated all along by all parties involved, the home required various updating and repairs. 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. Familiar minds think alike. He told his church that on Friday, Jesus Christ appeared to him at a church service. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Pastor Stovall and his wife, Kerri Weems, founded the Jacksonville church in 1998. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. 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