Astronaut ‘Butch’ Wilmore Celebrates Homecoming at Church: ‘All of This Goes Back to My Faith’

PASADENA, Texas – This Sunday’s service at Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas, was anything but ordinary. It was a celebration—one of their own had finally come home. After spending nine months stranded in space, astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore reunited with his wife, two daughters and church family.

“It’s great to know that he’s here, that he’s safely here,” said Pastor Tommy Dahn.

Wilmore has been resting following last week’s 17-hour return journey to Earth alongside fellow astronaut Suni Williams. During his 286 days aboard the International Space Station, Wilmore relied heavily on his faith.

“My feeling on all of this goes back to my faith,” Wilmore said. “It’s bound in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is working out His plans, His purposes for His glory throughout all humanity.”

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***   

Pastor Dahn emphasized that Wilmore’s faith was not just a temporary source of strength during his time in space. “It wasn’t just a faith that he drummed up for nine months,” Dahn said. “That’s the way Barry’s lived.”

Wilmore also found encouragement in the prayers and messages from his church family, who followed his journey closely.

“He watched every Sunday,” said Pastor Corey Johnson. “So having that, being able to hear the word of God, having the Word of God to read—like that—the Lord’s the one that sustained him through it all.”

As a longtime elder of the church, Wilmore stayed connected with his congregation while in orbit. He frequently called church members from space and even led devotionals, sometimes joining in song with fellow astronauts.

“We sang together with all the astronauts on the space station,” Dahn said. “We sang ‘Amazing Grace,’ and Barry shared the devotion with the whole congregation.”

Last Tuesday, the church watched intently as Wilmore splashed down on Earth.

“He came out and then he saw Barry,” Johnson recalled. “He attempted to stand up, and what he told me was, ‘I was standing up because we are made for the Earth.'”

Wilmore is undergoing 45 days of rehabilitation to adjust to gravity—no easy task for someone who prefers to stay busy.

“It’s going to take a while,” Johnson said. “He hasn’t driven yet. I asked if he had mowed his yard yet. He laughed and said, ‘Not yet.'”

One thing Wilmore is enjoying again is home-cooked meals.

“We might just have a get-together with a few close friends but no big party or anything,” said his daughter, Daryn Wilmore, via TikTok. “I am making him his favorite dessert—pecan pie.”

As he continues to recover, Wilmore is eager to share stories of his faith and God’s sovereignty from his time in space.

“I understand that He is at work in all things,” Wilmore said. “Some things are for the good—go to Hebrews Chapter 11. Some things look to us to be not so good, but it’s all working out for His good for those that will believe.”