PASADENA, Texas (BP) — Barry Wilmore attended his first elders meeting in nearly a year at Providence Baptist Church on April 10. His absence was understandable.

Wilmore, known by many as “Butch,” had an unexpected extended stay at the International Space Station (ISS) after the Boeing Starliner carrying himself and fellow astronaut Suni Williams developed issues docking with the ISS. Their plight and return home last month became worldwide news.

In speaking with media outlet after media outlet, Wilmore’s faith also received an astronomical stage. For him, though, it’s nothing more than a matter of obedience.

“If you’re a true believer, you’re directed by a Holy God who draws us to His Word and teaches us,” said Wilmore, who had joined fellow Providence member Tracy Dyson aboard the ISS. “My experience may not be common to people. But perseverance and knowing God is in control is really the focus for every situation in life.”

To quote an ‘80s icon, life comes at you fast. Wilmore experienced that 250 miles above the earth, and his faith helped him deal with intense, second-by-second situations.

“Jesus should be everything, all-encompassing,” Wilmore told Baptist Press. “If you are born again as part of the redeemed, then trust Him and His direction.

“We have to deal with life as it comes at us. How we handle it comes a lot from the Word.”

No small details

There are parallels to his experiences in space and as an elder, lessons for anyone claiming to follow Christ.

“The battles are not won in the battle alone. They are won in preparation,” Wilmore told BP.

Decades of practice and training go into the systems, jet structures and innumerable other aspects of space missions. But then, something happens. Things don’t work together the way they should.

That is when the thousands of hours in a simulator — like Wilmore accumulated, often early on Saturday mornings — come into play. You don’t only sharpen a knife right before you need it, and the time an engineer spends examining data in his or her office becomes a matter of life or death.

“There are no small details. They all matter,” said Wilmore. “I’ve had enough experiences that prove it time and again.”

There is a correlation with church leadership such as the elders’ meetings at Providence. They last as long as necessary and are scheduled for the last Thursday of the month. But others, like last week’s, take place as needed.

“Barry is an action guy,” said Tommy Dahn, who is in the process of transitioning out as pastor after founding the church 25 years ago. His successor is the other staff member among the elder group.

“We missed him for those nine months. He’ll poke and prod where others don’t,” he said. “He definitely brings another level of intensity with his background.

“Barry is always thinking through things and developing a plan. There is never a wasted minute.”

Wilmore said being back with his fellow elders last Thursday was “rich” and “wonderful.”

“We talked about a lot of things, primarily about shepherding the flock,” he said. “We talked about how people get into situations over which they have no control. I know something about that.”

A perfect life

His house had some deferred maintenance. Wilmore’s brother and dad helped him do some foundation work recently — pulling out some shrubs and painting the front and back porch to get ready for his daughter’s high school graduation party.

He missed volleyball season but was thankful to see her off to the prom last Friday night.

“I should’ve gotten a haircut,” he groused about pictures with her.

Now with 464 total days in space over three missions, he is willing to complete another. It’s who God created him to be, but not the only thing.

“There are many lines of work,” he said. “The world needs Jesus; it needs biblical truth. The Word is the only place to get it, as it guides us to truly know hope. If you’re not living that, ensconced in it, then when things happen failure is imminent.

“We had a mantra when I was selected as an astronaut — ‘Know everything and perform it well.’ It’s the goal to be perfect, but we can’t attain that in the flesh. Through the eyes of God, though, it’s not about perfection but direction.”

While at the ISS, Wilmore viewed live streamed services from Providence as well as Grace Baptist Church in his hometown of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., where he is friends with Pastor Alan Herd and where Wilmore’s childhood best friend is an elder.

Dahn remembers Wilmore coming to the church 17 years ago, an obviously intelligent guy who was humble enough to tell them “he didn’t know what he didn’t know.”

Many know him as one of those astronauts who was stuck in space. His church knows him as a leader, a guy who is very involved in others’ lives.

A year ago, Wilmore was preparing for what was supposed to be a nine-day trip to the ISS. He was also spending time with a senior adult in his final days, not only watching Providence’s worship services with him at times, but also handling his business matters to the end.

“That’s who he is,” said Dahn. “He looks for needs and works to meet them. He’s everywhere.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)