1972

A group of Christian scholars, convened by Dr. J. Stanley Mattson, meets in Simsbury, Connecticut to discuss the state of Christian scholarship within the mainstream of contemporary American higher education. The group concludes with a resolve to pray for, and work towards, the recovery and revival of a vital Christian voice within the mainstream of secular higher education in America.

1984

Under the leadership of Robert Cording of San Diego, California, The Kilns Association is established as a limited partnership for the purpose of acquiring and restoring "The Kilns," C.S. Lewis' home in Oxford, England (from 1930 until his death in 1963).

1985

Dr. Mattson resigns his position as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of Redlands to devote his primary energies to founding and developing the C.S. Lewis Foundation.

1987

The Board of Trustees of the newly established Foundation convenes at St. Andrews Priory in Valyermo, California, together with a group of Christian scholars and supporters, and agrees to launch the C.S. Lewis Summer Institute in Oxford during the summer of 1988. It further agrees to initiate exploratory inquiries into the viability of establishing a Christian modified "Great Books College" and School of Visual and Performing Arts on or near a major secular campus within the United States.

1988

The C.S. Lewis Foundation assumes ownership and responsibility for The Kilns following a merger with The Kilns Association in March. The Foundation conducts its first triennial Summer Institute, Oxford '88 which is held at St. Hilda's College, Oxford. The conference, centered up the theme "The Christian and the Contemporary University," attracts a stellar faculty and over one hundred registrants. The Foundation moves into its first professional offices on Olive Avenue in Redlands, California in October. A Site Evaluation Committee for the College is appointed and criteria developed for central site selection.

1990

Dr. Mattson commences full time service with the Foundation in July.

1991

Following an extensive review of criteria and site visits, the Site Evaluation Committee identifies ten potential sites for the future home of C.S. Lewis College. The Foundation moves to larger office quarters in the same building. Oxford '91 is conducted at Keble College, Oxford. Centered upon the theme "Muses Unbound: Transfiguring the Imagination," the Institute again draws an exceptional faculty and well over two hundred registrants.

1992

The Foundation's Board of Trustees resolves to direct its primary energies towards the restoration of The Kilns. The Kilns restoration project takes a giant leap towards fruition as "Vacation With A Purpose" volunteers complete the restoration of the roof and windows, and strip the site of weeds and undergrowth, achieving the total re-landscaping of the gardens while undoing much of the "modernization" of the home imposed upon it following the deaths of Jack and Warnie Lewis.

1993

Project leaders for The Kilns convene in Oxford to prepare the final interior designs for the restored home. "Vacation With A Purpose" volunteers complete another summer of hard work at The Kilns with other major improvements to the house, including the restoration of the original cast iron rain gutter system, under-ground pipes, the rebuilding of one chimney and four fireplaces, etc.

1994

Cambridge '94 convenes at Queens' College, Cambridge. Its theme, "Cosmos and Creation: Chance or Dance" attracts a large number of leading scientists and over three hundred registrants.

1997

Most of the major structural work at The Kilns is completed; a new heating and electrical system is installed; the main chimney and four more fireplaces are rebuilt; the original kitchen (circa 1945) is restored with major appliances gifted from the AGA Corporation and Hotpoint. The colorful rose garden flourishes; most of the fruit trees are replanted and a copper birch tree is planted.

1998

Taking the cities of Oxford and Cambridge by storm, 650 people including faculty, staff and registrants, convened to participate in the third triennial C.S. Lewis Summer Institute. Celebrating the centenary of Lewis' birth (1898 - 1998), "Oxbridge '98: "Loose In The Fire," was led by an extraordinary faculty and nurtured by a wide ranging group of visual and performing artists. The C.S. Lewis Foundation Faculty Forum project focuses upon the region of Southern California as a test site, to develop the first comprehensive survey of the Christian professorate in this region.

1999

In January, the Board of Directors of the C.S. Lewis Foundation increases from its former size of nine to fifteen members. Under the volunteer leadership of appointed Campaign Chair, Ken Williams (retired V.P. of McDonnell Douglas), the Foundation launches its first ever Annual Fund Campaign. With the encouragement of start-up grants received from the Fieldstone Foundation, the Huston Foundation, and a third anonymous Foundation source, the C. S. Lewis to launching an exploratory Faculty Forum initiative to determine whether, indeed, there was a need for an international network of Christian faculty. The Forum's purpose: to encourage greater communication, fellowship, joint research, graduate student development, and other scholarly activities among "Mere Christians," and related campus ministries, serving within colleges and universities the world over. Jill Fort is appointed to position of Faculty Forum Coordinator. The Foundation announces the theme for the fourth triennial C.S. Lewis Summer Institute, "Oxbridge 2001: Time and Eternity the Cosmic Odyssey." With blessings and on loan from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, Dr. Hal Poe is appointed volunteer Program Director for Summer Institute 2001. In June, volunteers left for England to participate in the third "Vacation With a Purpose, Kilns restoration efforts completeing the installation of the east side stairecase and replacement of fencing along entire west side of property. By the close of 1999, two named gifts were secured for the Kilns Library and the Music room.

2000

Over 160 participants gathered on April 1st for an all day Faculty Forum conference for Christian faculty serving within the Southern California region. The faculty met at the Kellogg West Conference Center on the campus of California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response from all in attendance, a mid-year Faculty Forum dinner program for the Southern California region was held on November 11th at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa. Over two hundred attended to hear guest speaker, Dr. James Hunter, sociologist of the University of Virginia, deliver a key-note address on the subject, "Inside the Post-modern University: Rethinking the challenges before us."

2001

Responding to growing requests for all-day and weekend programming for readers of Lewis drawn from many professions and churches, the C.S. Lewis Foundation conducted its first ever "Inklings Weekend Retreat" at the beautiful conference facilities of the Billy Graham Training Center, "The Cove." in Asheville, NC in January 2001. The Foundation will next present an all-day conference on C.S. Lewis, sponsored by the Texas Military Institute of San Antonio, early in June. In late July of this year, the first of two week-long seminars-in-residence will be offered at the Foundation's C.S. Lewis Study Centre at "The Kilns," Lewis' home in Oxford. Entitled "Branches to Heaven," the seminar will be conducted by Foundation Trustee, Dr. James Como, author of a recent book on Lewis by the same title. Looking beyond the current year, the Foundation is already well along in its planning for Oxbridge 2002, the fifth triennial C.S. Lewis Summer Institute, which is to convene in Oxford and Cambridge for two weeks in July of 2002. The theme: "Time and Eternity: the Cosmic Odyssey."