The Weemses filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief against Celebration Church. This is serious 2nd degree and 3rd degrees [sic] criminal felony behavior, added the email, which said the message was notice to Cormier of me dismissing you immediately from the trustees. View our Privacy Policy. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. 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 also said theyve been threatened with arrest if they enter church property. I have first hand knowledge of the spiritual abuse within this organization. Ministry Watch 2022 All rights reserved. Its office and Celebration College are at 10302 Deerwood Park Blvd. To sign up for a group, please follow these instructions: 3. Like many ARC churches, Celebration Churchs bylaws require overseers, who must be ordained pastors at other churches. Anyway, just wanted to encourage you that what you did for the Lord there is lasting. Meanwhile, the substantive allegations made in our Complaint about financial improprieties perpetrated by current Board members have gone unanswered. 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.. A civil court hearing is scheduled for May 20. Simply walk into the main office door and let the receptionist know you are there to receive prayer. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. From hangouts to bible studies, large format to small groups, meeting out at a coffee shop or in somebody's home we have a place for every person that walks through the doors of Celebration Church to connect in community and build lasting relationships with others. 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. 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. . [1] and is led by Senior Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake. Its a shame because at the start, they had the right concept, but absolute power and money corrupt absolutely. This story is another example of unchurchly. Suing to get your power position back, over a church? The leadership as a whole sucks and the unsaved world lives better. 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. 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. Timberlake spoke at a service in March, assuring the congregation that the church is OK. No criminal charges have been filed in this case. This isnt Apple, Coca-Cola, General Motors, etc.! The I-TEAM talked with a local attorney about what the newest court filing could mean for the Weemses and their businesses. I think this is wrong. In the suit, they allege trustees suspended Stovall Weems in retaliation for reporting financial misconduct by a church trustee and the churchs former CFO. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The founder and former pastor of Celebration Church is firing back against accusations of fraud and misconduct. The motion outlines four areas of concern: READ: Celebration Churchs motion to dismiss. Celebration's headquarters, called. 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. It also operates in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Paris, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, according to the website. Was this article helpful? And in September 2021, the Weemses officially transitioned from their position as lead pastors at Celebration to founding pastors. He did not say how many staff members are alleged victims. 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 founders of Jacksonville's Celebration Church are suing the church, its trustees and a lawyer for defamation as fallout spreads from a legal fight sparked by Stovall Weems' suspension. Now they've finally tied the knot, Soccer's Orlando Pride ditches players' white shorts over period concerns, Rooftop bar and music venue planned for Bay Street, NASA made history by knocking an asteroid off course. 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. Siebeling is a senior pastor at The Life Church, an ARC-affiliated Tennessee megachurch, and Volk runs his own nonprofit Together For Israel. Other pastors dont spend much time looking after other pastors; it is the board and leadership that witnesses this every week. To view a group that you are a part of, sign in to your My Celebration Account and click the My Groups button below. Who Will Pay for the SBCs Abuse Reforms Over the Long Term? He also took steps to remove other trustees a few days later, the suit indicates. It was a blessing when visiting pastors came because at least the Word preached at church that week. 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. Look up! Tim and Jen Timberlake serve as the Senior Pastors of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to financial compensation, the complaint asks for court action "prohibiting the publication or republication of the defamatory narrative and statements.". The celebration.org site shows that Celebration Churchs main campus is at 9555 RG Skinner Parkway, in the Baymeadows area. 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. 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. 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.. In August 2011, a ceremony was held for its new location, a 7,000 square foot facility on 30 acres near 9A and Baymeadows Road. . Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! A spokeswoman for Weems said the church has about 300 employees. Where did the PPP money go? We are confident in Gods plan for Celebration and that ultimately truth will prevail.. 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. that this dispute is fundamentally a religious one over how the church should be run and how its leadership should be held accountable, the churchs motion argues. To donate, click here. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved. $400,000) was used for the updating, repairs, and ordinary housing-related expenses such as furniture and landscaping. In February, after Stovall Weems was suspended, the Weemses filed suit against Celebration Church, alleging the church retaliated against them for reporting financial misconduct. 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. Click here and search groups under your location! 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. 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 restricted usage of these funds is documented with the Churchs Human Resources department. Sara Brady, spokesperson for Stovall and Kerri Weems. 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. Groups that do have childcare options will have that listed in their groups description. 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. Hi. 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. . Celebration Church is preparing to open an Arlington campus at the Regency Park Shopping Center in the former Hobby Lobby space. 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. Asked for comment on the new filing, Wedekind said Tuesday he was looking into how that should be handled. Apostolic oversight of the senior pastor is entrusted to church overseers, the suit arguesnot the trustees. Celebration is praying for a resolution for all parties involved, the statement said. A generation ago, Ted Koppel of Nightline used these words to describe the PTL scandal: a decidedly unchurchly rhubarb (I had to look it up and learn rhubarb also meant a noisy dispute. Start, they had the right concept, but absolute power and money corrupt absolutely financial improprieties by! For Israel Celebration College are at 10302 Deerwood Park Blvd knowledge of the spiritual abuse within this.... 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