Recently-rescued NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore said in a press conference after returning back to earth that joining his church’s Sunday service from space was “vital” to keep him going while being stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months.
“… the Word of God … I need it,” he said in the press conference held on 31 March (US time) as a journalist asked about why it was important for him to still be attending church services from space.
“… to worship with my church family was vital,” Wilmore added. “I mean, it’s part of what makes me go.”
He also said: “It’s invigorating … It’s part of what I need, as a believer in Jesus Christ, to continue that focus – a system, day in and day out, because I need that fellowship, even though it’s fellowship from afar … I still need it,” as reported by Fox News.
“All of our lives are bound up in many things. For me it’s faith in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the end all, be all,” stressed Wilmore.
“He [Jesus] teaches us about .. about being content in all situations because He’s working out His plan and His purposes for His glory and our good. And I believe that because the Bible says that. That’s the message that I lived.”
He continued, “That contentment … it doesn’t mean always happy, it doesn’t mean there’s no pain, but content and knowing that God’s in control.”
Wilmore, who reportedly serves as an elder at Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas, can also be seen sharing about his faith in an online video interview while still stuck at the ISS.
Wilmore was stuck in space along with fellow US astronaut Suni Williams from June 2024. The initial plan was for them to stay there for just eight days but they were stuck for over 280 days due to technical issues, with the pair finally returning to earth on the SpaceX Dragon capsule on 18 March. (Gilbert Humphrey)
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