At megachurch service, Ohio pastors call son's rape conviction 'deeply painful'
Photo: The Roys ReportFaith Life Church founders Gary and Drenda Keesee spoke briefly to their congregation on Sunday about the conviction of their son — two days after a Knox County judge found him guilty of 27 felony sex offenses involving children.
"This is a deeply painful situation for a parent," Gary Keesee Sr. said on Nov. 8 to those watching from the church's New Albany campus, its Powell satellite location or online. "Drenda and I are heart broken."
Keesee Sr., a self-described entrepreneur, pastor and television host, addressed the case after a lengthy Sunday service that included Christian rock music and a sermon in which he spoke about evil and "sexual perversion." Drenda Keesee then joined her husband on stage.
"I want to make an announcement," Keesee Sr. said as Drenda Keesee smiled at his side. "People have been asking. I think many of you know the situation that happened Friday but I'm going to read this to you."
"The judge said our son Tom is guilty and Drenda and I are praying for healing and peace in this situation for every person," he said. "Drenda and I deeply love all of our children."
Drenda Keesee did not speak about her son's case but nodded and said "amen" several times as her husband spoke. When he finished, the New Albany congregation broke out into applause.
Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Wetzel found Gary "Tom" Keesee Jr., 38, guilty on Nov. 6 in a bench trial of 11 counts of rape of a child under 13 years old, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The rape counts carry a sentence of life in prison, and the charges relate to three victims.
Keesee Jr. will be sentenced on Jan. 8. He remains free until then: Wetzel denied a request by prosecutors to revoke his bond, allowing him to stay free on a $1 million bond — he has been free since posting 10 percent of it in November 2025 — with conditions including surrendering his passport, wearing a GPS monitor and having no contact with the victims.
Keesee Jr. was a youth leader and chief media officer at the church before resigning in August 2024. Four women came forward last year and accused him of sexually assaulting them when they were between the ages of 6 and 15, between 2002 and 2016. The convictions relate to the three women who testified at trial; charges tied to a fourth woman were dismissed after she became too overwhelmed to finish testifying.
Prosecutors, with the Licking County Prosecutor's Office acting as special prosecutor, said Keesee sexually assaulted four girls between 2002 and 2016 and was 12 when the abuse began. Before reading his verdict, Wetzel said he found the victims' testimony truthful and credible.
Tim Keesee, one of the couple's other children and a former pastor at the church, testified for the prosecution.
Keesee Sr. said there is still a legal process ahead, so he cannot comment on the case specifically, and said the couple intends to finish what God called them to do more than 30 years ago in launching Faith Life Church.
"We know this past year and a half has been hard on you too," he told the congregation. "Thank you for all your prayers and thank you for continuing to serve and for being the church."
Drenda Keesee, who became a Knox County Commissioner in 2025, is facing calls from the Knox County Republican Party to resign from her seat after her son's conviction.
The Keesee family founded Faith Life Church in 1994 and opened the New Albany campus in 2008, according to the church's website. It launched a second campus in Powell in 2022.
Sources: The Columbus Dispatch, "At megachurch service, Faith Life founders say son's rape conviction 'deeply painful'" by Jordan Laird (Nov. 8, 2026); Newark Advocate, "Tom Keesee remains free after rape convictions, faces life sentence" by Josué Perez (Nov. 6, 2026); Newark Advocate, "Knox County GOP tells Commissioner Drenda Keesee to resign after son's conviction" (Nov. 6, 2026).
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