Ohio Megachurch Founders Address Congregation After Son Is Convicted on 27 Child Sex-Abuse Counts
NEW ALBANY, Ohio — The founders of Faith Life Church, Gary Keesee and Drenda Keesee, briefly addressed their congregation during the Sunday service on November 8 about the case of their son, the church's former youth pastor Gary “Tom” Keesee Jr., who was found guilty two days earlier on 27 counts including the rape of children.
“This is a deeply painful situation for a parent,” Gary Keesee said at the church's New Albany campus, watched from its Powell satellite location and online. “The judge said our son Tom is guilty and Drenda and I are praying for healing and peace in this situation for every person. Drenda and I deeply love all of our children.” He said a legal process still lies ahead so he could not comment on the specifics of the case, and that the couple intends to finish the work they began more than 30 years ago when they launched Faith Life Church. Drenda Keesee did not speak about the case, nodding and saying “amen” several times as her husband spoke.
Gary “Tom” Keesee Jr., 38, was a youth leader and chief media officer at the church before resigning in August 2024. On November 6, Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Wetzel found him guilty in a bench trial of 11 counts of rape of a child under 13, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. He could face life in prison on the rape charges, and sentencing is set for early January 2027.
Four women came forward last year accusing Keesee Jr. of sexually assaulting them when they were between the ages of 6 and 15, between 2002 and 2016. The convictions relate to three women who testified at trial; charges relating to a fourth woman were dismissed after she became too overwhelmed to finish testifying. Tim Keesee, another of the couple's sons and a former pastor at the church, testified for the prosecution.
Drenda Keesee serves on the Knox County Board of Commissioners and is facing calls from the Knox County Republican Party to resign that seat after her son's conviction. When Gary Keesee finished speaking, the New Albany congregation broke into applause.
(Source: The Columbus Dispatch)
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄亥俄州 Knox County 法院（Knox County Court of Common Pleas 所在地），本案即在此审理。Mark Spearman 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。
