Elaine Helms was born in Columbia, South Carolina on June 6 1945 to Ruby Mae Harrelson and Joseph Holiday Kirkland. She was their second daughter after her older sister Rubye Jo. On July 6, 2024, at the age of 79, at 1:55 pm, was declared dead by her attending physician at Northside Hospital’s ICU Wing.
During her childhood, she lived in Japan and Germany with her sister and Roger and Mattie Rutland, Kirkland’s brother and his wife, who raised the children while serving in the Army with distinction, returning his brigade from the Battle of the Bulge.
As a young woman, she attended Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia before marrying Captain Joel Helms in October of 1964. Their marriage lasted for 59 years and they were looking forward to celebrating 60 years this October.
They moved to Cobb County in 1979 where their three children- Julie, Shannon, and Joel- attended school. At her death, Joel and Elaine were also grandparents to Jacob, Isaac, Gabriel, and Zygmunt.
In the 1980’s, Elaine excelled in real estate. When she survived spinal meningitis, she promised God she would do his bidding for allowing her to live. God prompted her to start a prayer ministry at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. At the time, this was uncommon work. She felt led to persist in focusing on the power of Prayer. She established a 24-hour Prayer Hotline at the church and began writing down guidelines for intercessors which led to authoring four books and traveling to speak at churches and gatherings about the effectiveness of prayer.
Her first book: “If My People Pray” followed by “Prayer 101”, “What Every Intercessor Needs To Know” “Prayer Without Limits” and “Seeing God at Work”. She was befriended by Christian authors Evelyn Christiansen, Henry Blackaby, and T.W. Hunt during this time. They encouraged her path and writing and prayed with her. She had begun a book about grief prior to her death as she processed the death of her son.
A memorial service for Elaine will be held Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, 955 Johnson Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30068.
Privately, Elaine will be laid to rest at Green Lawn Cemetery, Roswell, GA
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