Chuck was a long-time member and leader at Lyonsville. His obituary is below.

Charles (Chuck) Waitman Helms, 74, of Countryside, Illinois died on March 14, 2019 at his home.

He was born June 30, 1944 in Chicago, the son of Albert and Juanita (Heatherly) Helms.

Chuck married Gail Marie (Wardo) Helms on April 20, 1974 in Chicago.

Chuck was committed to his family and community. He owned and managed Helms Lawn & Landscape in Countryside for nearly 30 years. He was a member of Lyonsville Congregational United Church of Christ in Indian Head Park, where he served in many roles over the years.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Juanita (Heatherly) Helms, and his brother, Herman.

Survivors include his wife, Gail; two children, Edith (Paul) Ruez, Centralia, Illinois, and Arthur (Nikki) Helms of Countryside; one granddaughter, Madaline, and three grandsons, Cody, Charles, and Russell.

Cremation is planned. A memorial service will be held at Lyonsville Congregational United Church of Christ in Indian Head Park on Saturday, April 13 at 11am. The Rev. Sean Weston will officiate. A lunch will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Lyonsville Church or the charity of your choice.

Due to current and forecasted weather conditions, worship and all activities tomorrow, January 20th, have been cancelled.

Per our bylaws, this decision was made by myself and our Moderator, Doug Adams, after reviewing road conditions and weather forecasts. We also consulted with Wilma Mrazek, chair of Worship & Spiritual Growth, and Lauren McSweeney, Assistant Moderator. These are always challenging decisions, but after weighing all of the factors we wanted to make a decision that ensured the safety of each person in our community of faith.

After all, though I will miss seeing you, God surely does not wish us to risk hurting ourselves or others in order to participate in worship tomorrow. I will be sending a video and text copy of my sermon tomorrow morning (and posting on Facebook and our website) for those who want the chance to hear the scripture and sermon that was planned.

A call tree is being organized to notify active worshipers, but please make sure your friends know not to come tomorrow.

I encourage you to mark Sabbath tomorrow by sleeping in a bit, having some coffee or tea, and considering tuning into the sermon.

Blessings,

One of our current mission projects is to collect school supplies for The LeaderShop. The supplies are due Friday, August 10th.

They are in needs of the follows:

• washable & dry erase markers
• wide ruled notebooks
• packages of loose leaf paper
• dual pocket folders (sturdy)
• school glue (stick or bottled)
• binders (1″ or 1.5″)
• pencils (#2 wooden or mechanical)
• pencil cases (any kind)
• pens (black, blue, red)
• scissors (rounded tip)

Please contact any member of the Mission Board if you have any questions.  Thank you.

In worship on June 17 we explored Jesus’ invitation to move past anxiety and embrace life in all its ups and downs. Pastor Sean put together a guide for our journey this week.

Check it out here.