Wrapping Up the Year With Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve Events

Faith United Methodist Church will celebrate the start of Kwanzaa, the season of spiritual and cultural renewal for African Americans, Sunday at 11 a.m. Special music will be provided by the Rev. Don Boger, along with special guests the Rev. M. Andrew Robinson-Gaither and the Rev. Mattie Bose-Horne. The church is at 1713 W. 108th St., Los Angeles. (323) 754-8453.

EVENTS

At more than 800 sites around the world, people will usher in the new year using the labyrinth, an ancient meditative tool that offers a pathway to prayer, introspection and healing.

In Southern California, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach will open its labyrinth at 7 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 1 a.m. New Year’s Day. Georgiana Lofty will speak about the history of the labyrinth--which historians believe pilgrims walked through in medieval times--and offer guidelines for the walking meditation at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

Lofty was trained by Lauren Artress of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, who kicked off the modern-day comeback of this ancient practice in the early 1990s. Artress, who has trained hundreds of people to use the labyrinth and started a ministry selling kits to propagate the practice, is urging that people gather in labyrinths on New Year’s Eve as an alternative to partying.

The church is at 5450 Atherton St. Suggested donation is $2. Child care for up to an hour is available upon request. (562) 597-8445.

* Spectacular Events is sponsoring a New Year’s Eve dance for Christian singles Thursday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Grand at Willow Street Centre, 4101 E. Willow St., Long Beach. The event will feature two deejays, a 3,000-square-foot ballroom and music ranging from disco to contemporary Christian in an environment free of smoke and alcohol. (888) 222-8818.

* The Holy Spirit Retreat Center is offering a Centering Prayer support group for those wishing to enhance their experience of meditation. The group will meet Jan. 5 and 19 at 7 p.m. The evenings include two prayer periods, a meditative walk and a video on the contemplative journey. The center is at 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. (818) 784-4515.

* Mainstay Church Resources is offering a Christian renewal conference for church leaders Jan. 5 at 8 a.m. at Westminster Foursquare Church, 8091 22nd St. The organization has teamed up with Promise Keepers for the event, which is built on eight biblical themes and such actions as nurturing intimacy with Christ and practicing purity of thought. (800) 224-2735.

PROGRAMS

Na’amat USA is asking for new or used stuffed animals to give to abused and neglected children in an award-winning program known as Teddy Bear Patrol, jointly sponsored with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Na’amat USA also funds such projects as full-time care for abused children, subsidized day care for 25,000 children of working parents and programs combating domestic violence. The organization is part of the largest Jewish women’s organization worldwide. (818) 981-1298.

* A photo exhibit on the religious community’s campaign for better wages and working conditions will be on display during January in the Onion Gallery at Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Church, 9550 Haskell Ave., North Hills. An opening reception for the exhibit, “Faith at Work,” by photographer Linda A. Lotz, will be held Jan. 10 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Maria Elena Durazo, president of Local 11 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, will give the guest sermon at the 10:45 a.m. worship service preceding the reception. (213) 486-9880, Ext. 103.

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Notices may be mailed for consideration to Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, faxed to Southern California File at (213) 237-4712 or e-mailed to religion@latimes.com. Items should arrive two to three weeks before the event and should include pertinent details about the people and organizations with address, phone number, date and time.