August

August 1

1991 - Did a chalk drawing at Concoxions' Seesoning student conference at North Greenville College sometime during the week of July 29 - Aug 2.

August 2

1987 - Did a chalk drawing at First Baptist Church in Irmo. At 1.4 miles and less than 3 minutes away, this was one of our shorter drives to do an Art to Heart since at the time we lived in a subdivision right across from the church. Thank you, Wofford Caughman. 

August 3

1980 - Sunday evening chalk drawing as part of leading Sunday through Friday revival services at Rocky Grove Baptist Church in Sally, SC.

1986 - Sunday evening Art to Heart at Northside Baptist Church in Orangeburg, SC.

August 4

1978 - Did a chalk drawing for National Campers On Mission Rally August 4-5 at Lakewood Campground, Myrtle Beach. Also emceed and led music through the rally. Thank you Jim Hayes for loaning us your motor home so we'd have something better than a tent to camp in for the weekend.

RANDOM DISCOVERY In compiling all of these dates, I noticed that this was the first time on my calendar that I used the term "chalk drawing" instead of "chalk talk."

1985 - Sunday evening Art to Heart as part of leading Sunday through Wednesday revival at First Baptist Church in Plano, TX August 4-7. Thank you, Larry McGuire

August 6

1983 - As camp pastor I did "This Little Child" chalk drawing for each week of Centrifuge youth camps at North Greenville College. Did a 3-screen, 9 projector multi-image production another night and preached the other 4 nights. This was our 10th and last week of the summer. Thank you, Don Mattingly.

1984 - As camp pastor and camp director I did a lighthouse/ship at sea chalk drawing for each week of Centrifuge. Did a 3-screen, 9 projector multi-image production another night, a musical I wrote another night, and preached the other nights. Also wrote my first camp theme song for this summer. Week 9 of 10.

August 7

1982 - As camp pastor I did "Crossroads" chalk drawing for each week of Centrifuge youth camps at North Greenville College. Did a 3-screen, 9 projector multi-image production another night and preached the other 4 nights. This was our last of 10 weeks.

1985 - Wednesday evening chalk drawing as part of leading Sunday through Wednesday revival at First Baptist Church in Plano TX Aug 4-7. Thank you, Larry McGuire

1988 - One of the few times we ever postponed a chalk drawing. Was scheduled to do Art to Heart Sunday morning at Reedy Fork Baptist Church in Moonville, SC but instead spent the day at the hospital with my mom. She passed away the next day.

1993 - Art to Heart at associational youth rally at Lake Murray Baptist Church in Lexington SC Thank you, Steven Hendricks of FBC Gilbert.

August 8

1980 - Concluded a week of leading Sunday through Friday revival services at Rocky Grove Baptist Church in Sally, SC August 3-9 with our second chalk drawing of the week.

August 9

1987 - Sunday evening Art to Heart as part of leading Sunday morning through Wednesday night services at Trinity Baptist Church in Lexington, KY August 9 - 12.

August 11

1980 - As part of being camp pastor I did a chalk drawing for each of the three weeks of the SC Baptist Convention state youth conference at White Oak Conference Center including this week of August 11-15. I felt bad that our first wedding anniversary (of many) was going to be spent doing a youth conference, so unbeknownst to Kathy, I enlisted the help of WOCC director Jim Beacham and his wife to help us celebrate that first anniversary. For that Monday evening dinner Jim and Shirley did a great job of setting up a romantic table for two (right beside the serving line) complete with fine china, real silverware, linen napkins, candles, and flowers. Under the table was a cassette tape recorder that I hid playing music from our wedding. Groups had arrived for the conference only a couple of hours earlier, so most of the students had no idea who we were or why we were getting such royal treatment for dinner.

1985 - Sunday evening chalk drawing as part of leading Sun - Wed revival at Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church Aug 11-14 in Meridian, MS Thank you, Wilson Pegram I had long known Meridian as home of the Peavey electronics company. Back then most of our sound equipment was made by Peavey. It was solid stuff for the money. Today I don't think we have any Peavey equipment that we're still using.

2014 - Sunday evening Art to Heart at Grace Baptist Church Summer Bible Conference in Florence, SC. Thank you, Billy Leach and pastor John Mark Collins.

August 13

1984 - Did our 30th and final chalk drawing for Centrifuge (now Fuge) youth camps at North Greenville College (now University) sponsored by the Baptist Sunday School Board (now Lifeway). Did one chalk drawing a week for 10 weeks during the summers of '82, 83, and '84. I was Camp Pastor the first two summers and served in the unique role of both Camp Pastor and Camp Director the third summer. Would be hard to over-estimate how much these three summers impacted our ministry in all the years to follow. Thank you to our fellow friends for life staff members, to all the wonderful students and adults who attended, and to Don Mattingly for creating and fathering Centrifuge and for allowing me to do a lot of things in very different ways.

August 14

1983 - Baby Christopher's first road trip after wrapping up Centrifuge two days earlier. He and Kathy had come straight from the hospital into Centrifuge staff training camp, so he finally got to spend his first ever night at home before we headed out with first stop in Sumter. I think we did a chalk drawing at FBC Sumter, but could have done something else.

1985 - Wednesday evening Art to Heart as part of leading Sunday morning through Wednesday revival at Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church in Meridian, MS. Thank you, Wilson Pegram. I was excited to be in Meridian because I had long known that it was the home of Peavey, the manufacture of most of the sound equipment we were using back then. Peavey made decent stuff for the money, but we gradually moved on to other brands. There's some sitting in the warehouse, but I don't think we're actually using any Peavey equipment any more. Sorry, Meridian.

August 15

1980 - Did a three day youth rally somewhere in Easley August 15-17 and probably did Art to Heart on at least one of those days.

August 16

1985 - Led a three day youth revival August 16-18 at First Baptist Church in Moss Point, MS and did Art to Heart on at least one of those nights. Thank you, Rich Young.

August 17

1980 - There's a chalk drawing on my calendar for this date, but it doesn't say where. Lest this sound irresponsible, I had files with more detailed notes than were on my calendar, but these posts are based mainly on just the calendar notes.

1983 - Wednesday evening chalk drawing as part of leading Wednesday through Sunday revival August 17-21 at Richards Memorial United Methodist Church in Pensacola FL This was Kathy's grandmother's church. Ruth Poyser did as much in serving her church as most any volunteer I've known. Many times when she would come to visit, we would try to convince her to stay a little longer, but she always had to get back to church to get out the church newsletter or one of other many things she did. This was a continuation of 11-week old Christopher's first road trip that began a couple of days after we finished doing a summer of Centrifuge.

August 19

1995 - Did Art to Heart as part of leading Concoxions' X:SPECTRUM conference at Port Royal Baptist Church August 18-19. Mike and Kim Blackwood went with us to help with music (as they have done often over the years), and at some point in the weekend during a break, Kim started singing with our daughter Shari, who had just turned six years old. I remember Kim doing things like getting Shari to match notes and even taught her how to sing harmony. I was impressed with how quickly Shari was picking up on things and started thinking she just might be really gifted musically. I wasn't wrong. (From the beginning, Shari has also gotten a lot of her musical ability and help from her mom.) That may have been the first, but certainly wasn't the last time that Kim and Shari sang beautifully together. Thanks, Kim!

August 20

1991 - Did Art to Heart at Greenville Baptist Associational Youth Rally held at Edwards Road Baptist Church in Greenville, SC. Thank you, Ruth Johnson.

August 21

1983 - Wednesday evening Art to Heart as part of leading Sunday through Wednesday revival August 17-21 at Richards Memorial United Methodist Church in Pensacola FL. This was Kathy's grandmother's church which she loved dearly and served in amazing ways as mentioned several days ago.

2016 - Attended George Schrieffer's funeral at First Baptist Church in Spartanburg. A wonderful celebration of a good and faithful servant and a life well done. Had it not been for George, I doubt that I ever would have started doing chalk drawings. As detailed elsewhere, George was my chalk drawing mentor. It was his being called away to his aunt's funeral in Chicago that prompted the beginning of what became our Art to Heart ministry.

August 22

1993 - Sunday evening Art to Heart at Eastside Baptist Church in Lancaster, SC. Thank you, Barbara Tolbert.

August 23

On this date, no matter what the year, I apparently didn't put a lot of info on the calendar.

1985 - Did some kind of presentation, possibly Art to Heart, in Graceville, FL August 23-24, presumably at a church.

1986 - Did Art to Heart at 7:30 pm at Harlem Baptist Church, but have no idea what city or state. Thank you, Phylis Hennecy, but I think I spelled your name incorrectly.

August 24

1938 - Bobby Haley was born. Had this not happened, I don't know that any of the hundreds of other things being posted this year on this date would have happened. Thank you, Chief.

1986 - Sunday evening Art to Heart at First Baptist Church in Georgetown SC.

August 25

1996 - Did a Sunday evening Art to Heart at Oakdale Baptist Church. My calendar says it was it "Carnba" SC. As far as I know, there is no such place in SC. There are Oakdale Baptist Churches in Rock Hill, Townville, and Cowpens. Wherever it was, I also preached there that Sunday morning.

August 26

1990 - I think we did an Art to Heart at Park Street Baptist Church, probably in Columbia, SC. The info is faded out on my calendar so not sure of any details.

2017 - Did a Saturday evening Art to Heart at Elim Baptist Church in Effingham, SC. Thank you, Sally Ham and Marion Humphrey. Before the presentation, I was in the rest room putting on my headset, and a huge guy came in and said, "Hey, Mr. Bill. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Storm. I got saved this summer at Seesalt." I honestly didn't recognize him, but I certainly remembered him. For most of the week of Seesalt earlier that summer, the Storm I had seen was a very visibly troubled young man, not the full of joy guy that couldn't wait to see me again. When Elim arrived at Seesalt, Sally and Marion almost apologized for bringing Storm with them, but said if there was ever a kid who needed to come to Seesalt, it was Storm. They shared with me some sadly concerning details of his life and said they weren't even sure he'd make it through the week. I reminded them that we very much welcomed the kids who might be more of a challenge. Long story short, he was indeed somewhat of a challenge, but at the end of a prayer-filled week he committed his life to Christ. In the restroom, he excitedly told me about how he was doing in his new walk with the Lord. I later got to meet much of his family that he had brought to see Art to Heart. The change in Storm was amazing to me and to them. A few months later, Kathy and I made another trip to Elim Baptist Church - sadly this time for Storm's funeral. He had told me he wanted to become a professional football player as a way to help him share Christ with others. He died of a heart attack while running to get in shape for football season. Here's more of Storm's story that I wrote shortly after his funeral. https://www.billcox.me/basic-blogs/2018/4/19/storm

August 27

1999 - Art to Heart for Friday evening lock-in at Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Columbia, SC.

2023 -Art to Heart at Groveland Baptist Church in Taylors, SC. When pastor Paul Fleming talked to me about coming, he said they were a small church and would do well to have 75 people for Art to Heart. I figured that probably meant about 50 would be there, but told him that was fine. We go to churches of all sizes and shapes. Turns out we had at least three times that many there, with half of those being visitors and seven making professions of faith in Christ. Thank you, Paul.

August 28

1999 - Calendar simply said "A2H for Jamie Burdette." Years after this, we did an Art to Heart for Jamie at First Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC, but I don't think Jamie was there in 1999. I know he had served earlier as a youth minister at a church in Greer, SC so I'm guessing this was in Greer.

August 29

1988 - Monday evening chalk drawing at Second Baptist Church in Lancaster, SC.

August 30

1987 - Sunday evening Art to Heart at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC.