One of the NASA astronauts who recently returned to Earth after spending over nine months at the International Space Station (ISS) shared that virtually attending church services played a crucial role in sustaining him spiritually during his time in orbit.
Barry "Butch" Wilmore spoke at a press conference in Houston alongside fellow astronaut Suni Williams, emphasizing the importance of maintaining virtual connections with Providence Baptist Church, his home church in Pasadena, Texas. He described virtual church services as “vital” as their originally planned eight-day trip extended to 286 days due to technical issues.
Wilmore, who has attended Providence Baptist with his family for 17 years and serves as an elder there, led devotionals and participated in singing “Amazing Grace” with fellow astronauts, as noted in a recent interview with CBN. During the press briefing, he said he also streamed services from Grace Baptist Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, where a friend serves as pastor and elder.
When asked why attending services from space was significant to him, Wilmore explained, “The Word of God continually infilling me, I need it.” He expressed admiration for his pastors, stating, “My pastors are the finest pastors on — or off, in this case — the planet. And to tie in and to worship with my church family was vital. I mean, it's part of what makes me go.”
Wilmore discussed how people's lives are often “bound up in many things,” sharing, “For me, it's faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the end-all, be-all. He forgives us.” He cited the teachings of his faith regarding contentment in all situations, noting, “He's working out His plan and His purposes for His glory and our good, and I believe that because the Bible says that.”
He acknowledged that faith does not eliminate pain or sorrow, stating, “It doesn't mean always happy, it doesn't mean there's no pain, but content and knowing that God's in control; a sovereign God's in control, working out His plan and His purpose.”
“Who's lived a life without pain? I mean, no one. That's the nature of existence. Who's lived a life without sorrow? Who's lived a life without challenges? It grows us, we learn from it, and that's the focus that I try to take from it: What's the Lord trying to show me?”
Wilmore and his fellow astronauts returned from the ISS on March 18 with the assistance of the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
In relation to their return, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has stated that the Biden administration declined his offer to assist in retrieving the crew to avoid giving the Trump supporter a victory during the election season. Wilmore corroborated Musk's statement, saying, “is absolutely factual,” though he admitted he was unaware of the specifics of any closed-door meetings regarding their situation.
