LANSING, MI -- The St. Stephen's Community Church family is preparing their annual Kwanzaa celebration. This year, the program will be lead by youth in honor of our national treasures, the Elderly, and will celebrate family and community. The theme is: “Youth Showcase: A New Generation Celebrating Kwanzaa.”

St. Stephen’s is located at 1420 W. Oakland Ave (@ Jenison St.) and is the site of two special programs honoring the African American holiday. The first ceremony is slated commemorate the principal of Umojia (Unity) on the first day of Kwanzaa Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004 at 6:30 p.m.

The second event, an ending celebration, is planned to embrace the principal of Imani (Faith) on Saturday Jan. 1, 2005 at 3 p.m.

Kwanzaa is a time of gathering our people, celebrating our achievements, renewing and reaffirming our commitment to positive values, storytelling and dancing, relishing our favorite soul food and African dishes and visiting the vendors of African apparel and other goods. Both events are free and open to the public.

Kwanzaa is a African American cultural celebration of family and community. Kwanzaa marks a time for African American gatherings to celebrate their achievements, to renew and reaffirm their commitment to positive values by giving thanks and enjoying the blessings of life. During the 1960s, Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Pan African scholar to instill positive values from traditional African cultures into the culture of Blacks in the United States. Kwanzaa is the celebration of "First Fruits."

If your family is going to experience the African American holiday,now is time time to get ready. Start your preparation for Kwanzaa early to insure ample time to gather, make or purchase the symbols and items that you'll need. Although the actual observance starts on December 26th and continues through January 1, it is strongly suggested that decorations go up a week early, beginning December 20th.

Home preparations for Kwanzaa should give a visible expression to the basic values of Kwanzaa and reflect the integrity and cultural authenticity underlying the celebration. There should be a prominent display of the basic Kwanzaa symbols: Mkeka, Kinara, Mishumaa saba, Kikombe Yo Umoja, Mazzo and Vibunzi.

When decorating use red, black and green as the dominate colors. Include in your decorations other items that help to create an atmosphere in the home that has a genuine spirit of Kwanzaa, such as live plants, and African and African American music, art and crafts that are life affirming and positive in nature. For more information call: (517) 484-2180.

L/R Ryan Taylor and his GrandMother Doris Taylor-Ryan was Eastern High School's Homecoming King - He plans to attend Western Michigan University in the Fall.