The Pastor Joe Keenan Legacy Fund

His Story

The Gentle Giant of Faith

On Monday, November 9th, 2026, we lost a man whose impact cannot be measured on an earthly scale. Pastor Joe Keenan, a devoted husband, faithful brother, caring son and unparalleled father to countless souls, passed on to be with Jesus at the age of 69.

Pastor Joe shepherded Living Hope Church in Houston, Texas for more than 45 years, pouring out his life into the service and salvation of others. He began his early days of ministry in the unfamiliar territory of inner-city Washington, DC, where he encountered the power and presence of God in some of the nation’s most at-risk communities. Although he was timid by nature, he shared the Word in universities, stadiums, at conferences, on street corners, to hurting youth, broken families, and even at his favorite place — HEB. He saw people for who they were — in their pain, joy, excitement, sorrow and success. He also saw what God could do in their lives outside of their circumstances.

One of his earliest experiences in ministry was visiting the Boy’s Village in Maryland, a detention center for youth. For the first time in his life, Pastor Joe was confronted by the realities of gang violence, drug use, abject poverty, and ultimately, souls who believed they were out of God’s grasp. Upon Pastor Joe’s passing, the idea of this legacy fund was birthed from a place of recognition of the dreams God placed in Pastor Joe’s heart to reach the less fortunate. Wearing his Sunday Best suit, tie and US-Israel pin, his last message to us was a deep reflection of the unshakable Kingdom of God and a reminder of the importance of eternity. This legacy fund honors the life that Pastor Joe lived, contributing primarily to his decades-long ministry, in addition to granting hope to the hopeless by gifting Bibles to the very people he first ministered to.