Astronaut speaks to seminary chapel service from space

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – America’s longest-orbiting astronaut says his more than 530 days in space have deepened his Christian faith.

Astronaut Jeff Williams is still aboard the International Space Station. In a live link to Tuesday’s chapel service at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he said that from orbit he views the Earth as “a creative work by an infinite God.”

He said, “You see the design. You see the beauty. You see the purpose.”

Williams encouraged the seminarians to view the deepening of their faith as a life-long mission.

The astronaut is a supporter of the Baptist seminary and has spoken before on its campus in Louisville, Kentucky. He also has written about his experiences in a book titled “The Work of His Hands: A View Of God’s Creation From Space.”