Renewal is a week-long retreat at Kanuga in the mountains of Western North Carolina where you can leave the world behind to renew your faith, rest your spirit, and reconnect with family and friends. Immerse yourself in Holy Spirit-filled praise, teachings, and fellowship, and leave restored!
This year, our keynote speaker will devote his morning teaching sessions to cultivating the joy of sharing the love of Jesus with others; to eliminate the fear of evangelism and help believers to enter into Christ’s Mission for the Church.
Evening sessions will look at the life and literature of C. S. Lewis who was, perhaps, the most influential Christian writer of the 20th Century (certainly the most popular Christian writer). The focus of these sessions will be on his big ideas, his ability to communicate those ideas imaginatively and rationally.
Dr. Jerry Root
Keynoter
Jerry Root is a Professor at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He attended Whittier College in Whittier, California where he was awarded 7 Varsity Letters in football and wrestling. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Talbot Graduate School of Theology and his Ph.D. through the Open University at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies. He has been studying C. S. Lewis and topics constellating around Lewis for 54 years, as well as teaching Lewis for 44 years. Jerry has lectured about Lewis at 81 Universities in 19 countries. His books include: the bestselling The Quotable C. S. Lewis; The Soul of C. S. Lewis; C. S. Lewis and a Problem of Evil; The Surprising Imagination of C. S. Lewis; The C. S. Lewis Bible, co-edited with Douglas Gresham (Lewis’s step-son); The Neglected C. S. Lewis; C. S. Lewis’s Dymer: A Spendour in the Dark; The Sacrament of Evangelism; and Naked and Unashamed. Jerry has also contributed numerous articles about C. S. Lewis published in other books, journals, and periodicals.
Jerry has been married to Claudia for 49 years. They have 4 married children and 15 grandchildren. They live in Wheaton, Illinois. His hobbies and interests include all things Lewisian, travelling, winemaking, and enjoying deep conversation with all he meets on a variety of subjects. He played some form of American football until he was 44, and was once the player
coach of the Oxford Bulldogs. He loves virtual fear including turbulence on airplanes, spelunking, skydiving, swimming with sharks, hammerhead stalls in biplanes and has done bungee jumping equivalents 100 times. He is an airplane fanatic and particularly loves WWI and WWII vintage airplanes.
Visit his website at https://www.drjerryroot.com/
The Rev. Patrick Schlabs
Worship Leader
Patrick grew up in the flatlands of Texas and started leading musical worship in middle school. After spending his twenties as a worship leader in a megachurch, a crisis of faith led him on a journey into Anglicanism. Patrick now serves as the associate rector at the Cathedral Church of St Luke & St Paul in Charleston, South Carolina where he continues to write, arrange, and produce music called Holy City Hymns. Patrick and his wife Meg met leading worship and continue to sing together today. They’re raising three astounding children in the North Central neighborhood of downtown Charleston.
Chaplains
The Rev. Michael R. Lumpkin
The Rev. Dr. John M. Barr III
Mike, the seventh of eight children and the son of Bill and Dallas Lumpkin, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his father served as Rector of Calvary Church. Six months after Mike’s birth, the Lumpkins returned to their home state of South Carolina. Back in South Carolina, he spent his first 22 years in the upstate town of Rock Hill. After graduating from The University of the South, Sewanee, in 1973, he was hired and trained by IBM’s Data Processing Division (DPD) as a Marketing Representative.
After a momentous spiritual awakening that took place over twenty-four months, he responded to a clear God-call to seek ordination to become a priest. Leaving IBM in 1979, he attended Virginia Theological Seminary. Simultaneously with this ‘call’, Mike met Ellen on a blind date! They were married in May of 1980. Mike and Ellen have two adult daughters, Jeanne and Hope, and four grandchildren.
Mike has served as Assistant Rector, Rector and Interim Rector for parishes in South Carolina. His longest tenures being for ten years at St. Christopher’s, Spartanburg and for nineteen years at St. Paul’s, Summerville. He currently serves as Senior Associate at Prince George Winyah Parish Church in Georgetown, South Carolina.
A heightened interest in the work of the 3rd Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of healing has been part of Mike’s ministry for years. He also enjoyed a long-term investment of ministry in Haiti. He supported mission work in Cange, on the central plateau; then on the island of LaGonave, for over 35 years. While not involved with Mission in Haiti today, he continues to be involved and committed to foreign missions.
Born at Sewanee, Tennessee in 1949, John attended Sewanee: the University of the South and graduated with a degree in English and a minor in philosophy. While at Sewanee, he studied for a term at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. After graduating, he taught English at the Baylor School in Chattanooga and while there developed the Baylor Mountaineering Program. Seminary years took him to Virginia Seminary (Honors graduate, 1976); and he earned a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Seminary in 2000 (with course work at St. Andrew’s University, Scotland with Alan Torrance and Christopher Seitz). John is married to Laura (author of Faithfully Fit, Word Publishing), and they have three children (Ramsay, MacReadie, David), and seven grandchildren.
He retired from serving as Rector of the Church of the Holy Comforter, Sumter, South Carolina in 2014 and now lives in Columbia with his wife, Laura. In years prior he served parishes in South Carolina, the Mississippi Delta and was the Rector of Christ Church, Mobile. He served as a Dean in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina and recently as the interim Dean and Rector of the Cathedral Church of the Apostles (ACNA) in Columbia.
Most recently he has enjoyed teaching at the Anglican Leadership Institute. Other delights are being a grandfather, fly-fishing, sometimes playing the fiddle and clawhammer banjo, from time to time teaching AP English Literature at an independent school…and always the high privilege of watching the grace of God reconstruct lives.
The Rev. Hunter Myers
Youth Minister
Hunter is the Student Ministry Director at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. Paul in Charleston, SC. He was born in Denver, but grew up in South Carolina. He attended Columbia International University where he studied youth ministry, Bible, and philosophy. Prior to coming to the Cathedral, Hunter served churches in Irmo and Columbia, SC. Hunter is married to Karina, and they live with their son Anthony in North Charleston. He was ordained to the priesthood in early 2026. He is pursuing a Masters in Theological Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Anglican Studies at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Hunter also serves part-time as the Canon for Student Ministry for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina.
Kate Brown
Children's Minister
Kate was born in raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. She attended Florida Southern College, where she graduated in 2018 with a degree in Communications. After graduation, she went on to study at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2021.
Kate previously served as the Minister of Family and Faith Formation at Prince George Winyah Church in Georgetown, South Carolina for three years, working with children and youth. She now lives in Columbia, SC with her husband, J.T. and her daughter, Margaret. She is thrilled to be part of Kanuga this year and looks forward to working with the children at Renewal!
Logistics
- Lodging
- Meals
- Check-in and Check-out
- Children's Activities
- Explore Kanuga and the Surrounding Area
- Daily Schedule
- Rates
Choose from a guest house, historic cottage or a room in Kanuga Lake Inn.
Check out photos of each type of lodging here.
Meals are included in the program fee. We serve three meals a day, buffet-style in our dining room. Please let us know of any food allergies when completing your online registration.
- Breakfast: 7:30-9 a.m.
- Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Supper: 5:30-7 p.m.
Check-in time is 4 PM
Check-out time is 10 AM
Activities for children of all ages will be available during Renewal. A detailed schedule of activities will be available closer to the start of the Retreat, but examples of children’s activities to be offered include:
- Arts and Crafts
- Swimming in the lake
- Outdoor play/playground
- Music and Bible teaching
- Indoor and outdoor games
- Scavenger hunt/ nature walks
- Movie nights
During your stay, we hope you can make time to explore Kanuga’s hiking trails, wooded walks, lake, mountain biking trails, and more. The indoor gym includes workout and weight rooms, as well as a basketball court.
There are myriad worship and contemplation spaces at Kanuga in which all are welcome, including the indoor Chapel of The Transfiguration and the Lakeside Chapel and St. Francis Chapel outdoors.
Within a short drive of Kanuga, you can experience fly fishing, numerous hiking trails and waterfalls, mountain towns with great shopping and restaurants, breweries, and much more.
A detailed schedule will be available closer to the date of the Retreat.
Generally, each day begins with Eucharist in one of Kanuga's beautiful outdoor chapels, followed by worship and teaching. Small groups meet daily to connect and discuss the teaching. Afternoons are mostly free time. Following dinner, we meet for evening worship and teaching followed by time for intecessory prayer.
Rates for the 2026 retreat are:
| Adult Double Cottage (Shared Room) | $1,115 |
| Adult Single Cottage (Private Room) | $1,375 |
| Adult Double Inn (Shared Room) | $1,210 |
| Adult Single Inn (Private Room) | $1,525 |
| Youth (13 - 17) | $750 |
| Child (4 - 12) | $480 |
| Child (0-3) | $0 |
| Non-participant (lodging and meals only) | $860 |
| Commuter (no lodging or meals) | $715 |
***Register before September 1 to receive a 10% discount and before March 1 to receive a 5% discount***
Cancellation Policy: Reservations may be canceled for a full refund up to 30 days prior to the event (May 21, 2026). Reservations canceled after this date will receive a 75% refund of the registration fees.
