JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The founder and former pastor of Celebration Church is firing back against accusations of fraud and misconduct. Speaking alongside his wife, Kerri, who leads the church with him, Weems, who says he has been "walking with God" for 28 years, said he had never met Jesus like this before. The report said the churchs cash balance dropped from $9 million in October 2020 to $6 million in December 2020 to $2 million in March/April 2021. $100,000 transferred to churchs missions account to cover a transfer of $100,000 to an unrelated church ministry in Nevada. The report said that loan money was properly used and documented. It was approved for $2,153,702 on April 6, 2020. A hearing on the Weemses lawsuit is scheduled for May 20, according to the Florida Times-Union. Weems told Action News Jax that the church agreed as part of a three-year plan for the pastor to transition to mission work and retirement. Stovall Weems, senior pastor of the 12,000-member Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, told his congregation Sunday that he met Jesus . I can sense His presence like He has a personality. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The church and Weems have been in a civil court battle that includes allegations of financial misconduct and fraud. 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. It was approved for $2,153,702 on April 6, 2020. An email sent by the attorney that closed the sale of the Shellcracker Road property indicated that the Weems Group kept the $430,000 profit it made on the sale. The company reportedly requested that Stovall and Kerri Weems be interviewed as well, but they refused. The News4JAX Morning Show team brings you breaking news from overnight -- local, national and international stories, as well as weather and traffic to start your day. TELEVISION. Weems said he spent more than $458,000 to make repairs and improvements. The report said the church intends to seek criminal charges. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. Stovall Weems preaches at . A Wyoming LGBT advocacy group offered to pay supporters to travel to Cheyenne to attend a rally Monday at the state Capitol on behalf of biological males being . . After the employee delivered the car as demanded, Weems told him to find his own ride home, the report reads. The church said the Weemses do not have any authority to live at the Shellcracker Road property anymore because Stovall Weems resigned his positions with the church on April 15 amid a legal battle that includes allegations of financial misconduct, spiritual abuse and defamation. STORY: Scooter driver killed in crash on Atlantic Boulevard. And they did these things. Besides the digital currency deals, the report flagged the fact that the church paid just under $1.3 million for a parsonage on Black Hammock Island in June 2021, a 50-percent markup on the price from the time a company Weems controlled bought it just four months earlier. Action News Jaxs Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson, whos a criminal defense lawyer, said if thats true, it could lead to fraud charges. Stovall Weems said he believed Cormiers construction work was part of his $1 million pledge and believed the churchs Chief Financial Officer was accounting for Cormiers donation. The Glen Kernan parsonage was sold on June 4, 2021 for $1,475,000. $150,000 was used to buy TurnCoin on behalf of Honey Lake Farms and $150,000 was used to buy TurnCoin on behalf of AWKNG. We are a global house comprised of many rooms around the world, with headquarters residing in Jacksonville, Florida. Stovall Weems posted a letter on Instagram that stated the resignation was effective Friday, April 15. Action News reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for comment and requested their information on racial profiling. Please click here to learn how. According to the report, Weems told his lender that the church board approved purchasing the house, when they did not. Accept the resignation of Stovall and Kerri Weems as employees of Celebration effective April 15, 2022 without further compensation or benefits, Pursue the removal of Stovall and Kerri Weems from any positions of authority relating to the church, Honey Lake Farms, Honey Lake Clinic and AWKNG, Require Stovall and Kerri Weems to account for and return to the church all funds misappropriated by them, Remove Stovall and Kerri Weems from the parsonage and sell the property, Require Northstream Management, Habitat for Wholeness, Honey Lake Farms and AWKNG to repay all receivables and loans made by the church to those entities, Report these findings to the appropriate authorities to determine whether criminal charges should be brought, Engage in the Christian Conciliation Process outlined in Celebrations bylaws, a new Instagram page, Stovall Weems Ministries. Those steps were to accept the resignation of the Weems as employees without further compensation, pursue the removal of the couple from any positions of authority relating to the Church, and to find and account for all "misappropriated funds". Amazing outreach programs! RELATED: Celebration Church founding pastor steps down amid legal battle. Megachurch Pastor Stovall Weems Said Jesus Came to Him Sporting Brown Hair, White Robe. The report from Nelson Mullins suggests that witnesses described many examples of overbearing demands on behalf of the Weems. The report said Weems had been turned down when he approached a fellow-pastor and friend, apparently from the Nevada ministry, about investing in TurnCoin, so he told Celebrations accounting staff to move $100,000 to the outside ministry for a revival. This went on into Saturday. The high-quality food we had received at St. Mary's gave way to standard Navy chow . In February 2021, Weems Group, managed by Stovall, purchased a home for $855,000. Between October 2020 and March or April last year, the churchs cash balance fell from $9 million to $2 million, the report said. The church financed the purchase of the property by drawing on its line of credit from its primary lender. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. 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. Celebration Church - Our Team Our Team This team oversees the day-to-day ministry and operations of the church. Stovall Weems said Cormier began feeding other trustees and senior church members lies and misinformation and misleadingly convinced the other trustees that it was Weems who committed misconduct, according to the injunction. They seized the church illegally and they shouldnt have done it, he said. The pastor of that ministry later told Celebration staff that Weems had told him to spend the money on TurnCoin as part of Weemss legacy investment. The home is on Shellcracker Road in the Black Hammock Island area of Duval County. Christian Faith Center 101 South Peachtree St. Creedmoor, NC 27522 919 528-1581 The News4JAX I-TEAM looked into what Celebration Church received in PPP money. Were just into basic human decency. The lawsuit claims that Stovall Weems attempted to confront Cormier about both the financial inaccuracies and "the lies" he was reportedly telling, but it had no effect on Cormier. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The founder and former pastor of Celebration Church is firing back against accusations of fraud and misconduct. In September 2020, the report claims Weems spun off several ministries as standalone corporate entities and had requested a $14 million credit line to fund real estate purchases. This was done without authorization from the board, the report states. These instructions -- similar to over-the-top green room riders required by celebrities -- reflected the Weemses immense entitlement and self-importance, the report reads. [1] and is led by Senior Pastors Tim and Jen Timberlake. 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 Weems and his wife Kerri Weems. STORY: The top high schools in Florida, according to U.S. News and World Report. Unknown, Sometime in the Future: With her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. The churchs balance also allegedly dropped from $9 million in October 2020 to $2 million in April 2022 and Weems never grasped where the money went.. The closing documents were signed by Weems on behalf of Weems Group and the church, the report states. Georgetown Campus Central Austin Campus Download The Celebration App Get Involved Giving Small Groups Volunteer Outreach Celebration Events For Your Family By clicking "Accept", you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Hope youll give us another try and check out some other articles. The words of the chant are thelast words uttered by Eric Garner,who was choked to death by a white police officer in New York last year. The investigation included an analysis of thousands of pages of documents and over 20 interviews with current and former church members, referred to as witnesses in the report. I have been walking with God for 28 years. It is a member of the Association of Related Churches. Christian college asks Supreme Court to stop Biden's trans dorm directive, M.I.A. For about the firstfiveminutesof the protest, there was nothing but silence outside Mt. The CFO told Weems that because the church owned the property, he was not entitled to the sale proceeds, according to the investigation. "I want to talk to you about the experience I had Friday night where I met and I saw our risen Savior," Weems said in a recording of his church's Sunday service posted on YouTube. This action presents the latest chapter in a campaign of deception, manipulation, distraction, and abuse of power by Stovall and Kerri Weems against Celebration, reads Celebration Churchs motion. Celebration is a multi-site megachurch with locations in South Florida, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and around the world. The money hasnt been used for a revival, the report said. Honey Lake Clinic is also a non-profit that was founded and initially funded by Celebration Church, according to the injunction. Stovall and Kerri were suspended from the church and later Stovall resigned. The company says the report is the result of thousands of pages of documents and more than 20 interviews with current and former church leadership team members. Dana Ross, women's ministry director at Celebration Church and wife of current senior pastor Derrick Ross, stated in an affidavit the church and LLM was in the process of selling five acres to Schneiderman's Furniture to expand the building for children's ministry, a new chapel and other uses as Lowell Lundstrom Sr. had planned a decade ago. To find a way forward, she must look to the oldest stories of all for guidance. The Weemses also said theyve been threatened with arrest if they come onto church property. Attorneys for the church said they interviewed more than 20 current and former senior leadership members, staff, former trustees, other advisors and consultants. As I have said all along, I have nothing to hide. MORE: Founding pastor sues for defamation in wake of Celebration Churchs investigation. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. At one point he suggested the Church needed to learn how to function without any buildings, said the report. This increased the churchs debt by $1,300,000, according to the report. He's the father of Eyewitness News Reporter Toni Yates. The church released a 22-page investigative report on. I shall continue a righteous path with a new ministry despite these shameful efforts.. I couldn't sleep. Despite repeated requests by many, the Weemses refused to take any meaningful time off after the Encounter to process the event.. A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. The church hired an attorney to do an internal investigation and the findings were released in April 2022. 1,284 were here. They also confirmed that Kerri Weems was distraught and overwhelmed by her husbands behavior, said the report. This includes taking private charter flights to exotic vacations and having private assistants for every demand, which accounted for 10% of the churchs total revenue, the report says. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The report said Weems began making strange comments about sweeping changes he intended for the churchs ministry. Find more information on upcoming services, workshops, and ministry events. The report argued that Weems received a financial benefit from the digital security buys. This was very clear, in writing, and was agreed upon by all parties, Weems defamation suit said. We reject the utterly baseless and false allegations made against us. I-TEAM: Celebration Church releases findings of explosive investigation into founding pastor. We will add his response to this story as soon as we get it. Celebration Church released a statement to News4JAX on Wednesday: Celebration Church has grown and thrived since Pastor Tim Timberlake became the churchs spiritual leaderin September2021. New Here? The report said Weems filed a financial statement wrongly listing a $1.4 million loan from the church as a debt that was owed to Honey Lake Farms, and that when a bank loan officer talked to the church about it, Weems told church accountants to simply write off the money the church was owed. Celebration Church said it agreed to purchase a parsonage for the Weemses to use as their personal residence. PREVIOUS STORY: Pastor resigns amid lawsuit with Celebration Church. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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