Celebration Church officials have filed a lawsuit against their founders who continue to live on church property despite having resigned from their roles.
On Tuesday morning, an eviction notice filed by Celebration Church was delivered to its founders, Kerri and Stovall Weems, who continue to live on the property at Shellcracker Road, which is owned by the church. Court records showed that Weems received the notice and also accepted a notice against his wife.
News 4 JAX reported that Celebration Church, a 12,000-member megachurch based in Jacksonville, Florida, owns the Nassau River home located in the Black Hammock Island of Duval County in Florida where the Weemses continued to reside despite Stovall resigning from his positions in the church on April 15. His resignation followed allegations of financial misconduct, spiritual abuse, and defamation. The Celebration Church founders have five days to respond to the eviction notice.
Celebration Church Founders 'Refused' to Vacate Property or Pay Rent
This is not the first time the Weemses were served eviction notices. Celebration Church said it had issued eviction notices three times by May 31, 2022 but were ignored. The church said that the founders "refuse to vacate" the Nassau River home or pay any rent.
In the April 26 eviction notice, an attorney for the megachurch reported that the Weemses were storing taxidermy and other personal effects at Celebration Church's Nassau River home in Regency and asked them to remove their belongings. However, the Weemses' attorney responded on May 13 saying that the Celebration Church founders were allowed to remain in the Nassau River home until their deaths. The church's attorney denied this, saying that the Weemses "have no right, title or interest in or to the Shellcracker property."
Now, Celebration Church is seeking $30,000 in damages and rent for the period of April 15, when Weems resigned, until the couple vacates the Nassau River home.
Nassau River Home at the Center of Lawsuit
The disputed Shellcracker property is at the center of a lawsuit that Celebration Church officials filed on June 1 this year, in which they argued that in June 6, 2021, Weems purchased the property, which at the time had an estimated value of $1,005,899, was sold for $1,286,900, the Christian Post reported. Weems purchased the Shellcracker property on behalf of the church and Weems Group, LLC, which he managed.
The Weemses argue that the Parsonage Use License Agreement allows them to continue residing in the Nassau River home until their passing, but the church said that the agreement is only applicable to a $1.5 million home on Hunterston Lane in Jacksonville, Florida. The church's legal team said that the Weemses had broken the agreement when they moved from the Hunterston property to the Nassau River home.
Weems filed a lawsuit dated February 23, in which he claimed to be illegally ousted from his role as senior pastor by Celebration Church's board. This came after an internal report found that Weems' leadership was "marked by rampant spiritual and emotional abuse" as well as "manipulation, a profound sense of self-importance and selfishness, superiority and entitlement."
The investigation found that Weems had made improper financial transactions, including flipping property for a $430,000 profit and using up to $500,000 in COVID funds from the Paycheck Protection Program to purchase digital currency, the Daily Beast reported. The megachurch alleged that Kerri and Stovall Weems both did not "[serve] anyone at the Church" but instead "demanded others to serve them-the antithesis of Christ-like personal sacrifice and service to others."
Related Article: Celebration Church Report Accuse Former Pastor Stovall Weems And Wife Of Being Abusive
