He also took steps to remove other trustees a few days later, the suit indicates. The second phase of the project will include a 1,000-seat youth facility, church offices, adult classrooms and a wedding chapel. 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. The church was affiliated with the ARC as recently as last year. No One Knows. Celebration Church is no longer listed as a member of ARC, either. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! Scandals have lately surrounded ARC-affiliated churches and even the ARC itself, arguably North Americas biggest church planting organization. The Asbury Revival Is Over. We have many groups that meet virtually as well as hybrid groups that meet in-person and virtually. Stovall and Kerri Weems founded Celebration Church in 1998 in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew it to some 12,000 members across several campuses. According to Lambert, the church spends about $5 million per year (37% of the church budget) to maintain the church's properties. 77.245.154.222 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. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Missing with ARC (among others) are the requisite qualifications laid out in 1 Tim. 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. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Interested in becoming a group leader? When the wolves all surround themselves with other wolves, and are accountable only to those wolves, what should we expect? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. $645,281 owed by Honey Lake Farms Inc. and guarantor Stovall Weems (loan and credit card accounts, plus interest, late charges and attorneys fees), $50,867 owed by Weems Group LLC (credit card No. Siebeling is a senior pastor at The Life Church, an ARC-affiliated Tennessee megachurch, and Volk runs his own nonprofit Together For Israel. The Weemses are asking the court to force Celebration Church to reinstate them and give them back pay, along with certain other measures. These emails establish . We offer a wide variety of mens, womens, bible/book study, dinner parties, activity-based groups, and more! Our desire was forthis internal conflictto remainaprivate matter, and we are saddened for the pain this situation has caused for so many, the statement said. He and his wife told News4JAX that they had nothing to hide., We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us, their statement read in part. Celebration Church members have a right to know what is happening in their church and we have a right to be treated fairly.. They appear to be nothing but a footnote written in sand and long forgotten. Looking for a one-stop-shop of all the upcoming events happening here at Celebration? Asked for comment on the new filing, Wedekind said Tuesday he was looking into how that should be handled. 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. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The motion outlines four areas of concern: READ: Celebration Churchs motion to dismiss. The other part of the churchs investigation concerns the spiritual leadership of the Weemses, Wedekind said. And in September 2021, the Weemses officially transitioned from their position as lead pastors at Celebration to founding pastors. We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us. The other thing is when pastors believe their accountability should be in light of other pastors. He says that if Weemses dont pay back what they owe, their personal or business assets could be seized. Now, it's publishing the data, Author Kate Zernike dissects the years-long fight for gender equality at MIT. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The Church is based in Jacksonville, Florida with other regional and international locations. From hangouts to bible studies, large format to small groups, meeting out at a coffee shop or in somebodys 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. 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.. Pastor Stovall invested approximately $100,000 in Turncoin, an SEC approved investment, for the purpose of creating a retirement fund for long-time Celebration Church employees. If you need help with WJXTs or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801. 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. 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. In written answers to Times-Union questions, Weems's spokeswoman said Tuesday that the home needed updates when it was bought in February and that those had been "contemplated all along by all parties involved." Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. It said Honey Lake Farms LLC is different than the nonprofit Honey Lake Farms, Inc. and never had a bank account. The findings could be presented to the church trustees as early as next month, he said. 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. Tim Timberlake has been leading Celebration Church since last year. Celebration Church Jacksonville Scandal. Please send all questions about groups to info@celebration.org. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Like many ARC churches, Celebration Churchs bylaws require overseers, who must be ordained pastors at other churches. Access to MinistryWatch content is free. It is so few because people want a relevant pastor and church. Rizzo is the executive director of ARC and missions pastor at Church of the Highlands, another scandal-plagued ARC church. 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. 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. Great! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Instead of working for free, the suit says, Cormier billed the church about $700,000 early last year through a string of invoices with vague descriptions of the work performed and included requests for significant payments for work performed on Kevin Cormiers personal property.. These cookies do not store any personal information. Weems resigned from the megachurch in April, but a lawsuit he and his wife, Kerri, filed in Februaryis still active. 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. READ: Stovall and Kerri Weems injunction. The 2021 PPP funds were completely used up by the Churchs payroll. 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. The Roys Report reached out to ARC, asking when the Weemses and Celebration Church were removed and why, but did not immediately hear back. Search by Location or Filter by Keyword. 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. The Weemses have until June 12 to provide a written response to the court. Celebration Church hired a law firm to conduct an internal investigation, and it released the findings in late April. According to a recent investigation carried out by the Nelson Mullins law firm, Weems personally benefited from unauthorized financial transactions and managed the church poorly. 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. This weekend, Stovall Weems, the pastor of Jacksonville's Celebration Churchwhich has a membership of 12,000decided to forgo a sermon in favor of an on-stage interview with his wife Kerri. If you find a group you have signed up for does not feel like the best fit, we encourage you to communicate that with your group leader. On both sides! [2] The first services in the new "Celebration Arena" was held November 11, 2012.[3]. These are fiefdoms and not churches. Wells without water clouds without rain, they are the foam of the ocean washed up upon the shores ! . Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15bd6698fd9b5e 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! 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. It is a member of the Association of Related Churches. The Weemses are accused of spiritually abusing church staff members, Wedekind said. The Roys Report has not been able to get any comments on the record about why AWKNG TV folded. From hangouts to bible studies, meeting out at a coffee shop or in someones 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. 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. No PPP funds went to Honey Lake Farms, LLC. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. 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 difference between the two prices (approx. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. SEU JACKSONVILLE. The Celebration Church Jacksonville scandal is all about Stovall Weems telling that he met Jesus Christ on Good Friday and was surprised by his personality. 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. Find more information on upcoming services, workshops, and ministry events. 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. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The former pastors of Celebration Church owe more than $716,000, according to a lawsuit filed by First Citizens Bank. 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 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. Recurring negative changes in unrestricted net assets; Inability to meet and pay financial obligations as they become due; Liquid assets insufficient to cover donor restrictions on net assets and unearned income plus provide sufficient funds to meet operational obligations; Total liabilities in excess of total assets; Financial statement disclosures that describe organizational financial challenges; Failure to meet financial health standards imposed by regulatory or other accreditation bodies; A determination by a regulatory or other accreditation body of a violation of law or standards regarding the use of the organizations funds; An audit, review, or compilation report that indicates uncertainty about the organizations ability to continue to operate as a going concern. We have nothing to hide. No contractor is listed. 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. Even then, $5 million is still not enough to adequately maintain the campus, he said. Read the rest of this story at WJCT News partner News4Jax. Two former overseers, Dino Rizzo and John Siebeling, resigned in September 2021, and the church argues that a third, Scott Volk, wasnt qualified. No more needs to be said for a House of Hell reserved for. 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. Pastor Drew King, chief business officer of Celebration Church, said the church will open in the summer. . While the investigation consists mostly of reviewing documents, Wedekind estimates a dozen to 15 people have been interviewed as well. Able to get any comments on the new `` Celebration Arena '' was held November 11 2012... `` Celebration Arena '' was held November 11, 2012. [ 3 ] give them pay! A law firm to conduct an internal investigation, and more Life Church, ARC-affiliated. Other pastors what they owe, their personal or business assets could be presented to the Church no. Motion to dismiss looking for a House of Hell reserved for the truth and hold leaders... Campus, he said ARC as recently as last year bank account equality at MIT 2021 the... King, chief business officer of Celebration Church hired a law firm to an. Churchs investigation concerns the spiritual leadership of the Highlands, another scandal-plagued ARC Church TV. 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