Orange, NJ – The Orthodox Christian Church teaches that marriage is not merely a human custom, but is, rather, a Holy Mystery instituted by God Himself, Who looked upon Adam and declared that “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Marriage is an eternal, sacramental bond, a path to holiness, and a training ground for the practice of self-sacrificial love and true communion. Furthermore, as St. John Chrysostom teaches, “The love of husband and wife is the force that welds society together”. Thus, preparing for marriage via formal courtship is one of the most important things that a young Orthodox Christian called to the married life can do.
The Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCh) has long sought to create fora wherein the young people of the Sister Churches can come together to meet and to learn about this Holy Mystery as a single community in Christ. On Saturday, July 18, 2026, His Eminence Archbishop Petros – member of SCOOCh and Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Archdiocese of New York & Its Surroundings – seized the initiative and hosted a Pan-Orthodox Seminar on Courtship and Marriage at St. Gabriel’s Church in Orange, NJ. This seminar is the latest in the SCOOCh/E.M.E.R.G.E. series, which has previously presented two conferences ministering to Orthodox women and a third ministering to Orthodox men. E.M.E.R.G.E. stands for Empower, Motivate, Educate, Reach, Guide, and Elevate. It is a ministry of St. Gabriel’s Ethiopian Orthodox Church which works hand-in-hand with SCOOCh to organize Pan-Orthodox events designed to bring our Orthodox community together and to foster an identity based primarily upon our common Orthodox Christian Faith.
The conference opened with a Concelebrated Kidan service led by His Eminence Archbishop Petros and by the priests of the parish: V. Rev. Fr. Melake Ganet Kesis Tesfa Eyesus and Rev. Fr. Wolde Yohannes. After prayer, the attendees adjoined to the church’s Abune Yesehaq Memorial Hall for the events of the day. Keynote speaker – Tasoni Lilyan Andrews of Virgin Mary & St. Pachomius Coptic Orthodox Church of Stony Point, NY – delivered an edifying and informative lecture entitled “Intentional Courting: Exploring Courtship, Expectations, and Readiness for Marriage”, and also signed copies of her book, “Waiting and Dating: An Orthodox Christian Guide for Navigating Singleness and Godly Relationships”. Panels of clergy and expert laity were also convened exploring various themes, including courtship in the Orthodox concept, Marriage as a Holy Mystery and covenant, and how the Church ministers in oikonomia to widows, widowers, and those facing the unfortunate prospect of divorce. Panelists included Rev. Fr. Wolde Yohannes of the hosting parish, Rev. Archdeacon Gebre Kristos Nicholas Siniari of SCOOCh and his wife Tasoni Crystal Siniari of the St. Marina Orthodox Christian Women’s Ministry, Rev. Archdeacon Wolde Mariam of the Ethiopian Archdiocese, Mr. Norman Sheriff II and his wife Mrs. Lauren Sheriff of the Ethiopian Archdiocese, Dr. Quidest Sheriff of St. Gabriel’s Church, and Dr. Christine Agaibi of St. Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church of Medford, NJ and founder of the Center for Authentic Resilient Empowerment (C.A.R.E.).
A robust and vigorous dialogue ensued during which the panelists and the keynote speaker fielded questions in real time from an enthusiastic audience comprised of faithful from each of the Sister Churches. During this discussion, the participants made a point to express their fervent desire that more opportunities be provided for young people from the various Orthodox jurisdictions to meet potential spouses from their Sister Churches. The Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches hears and embraces this request, and will work to convene more such events in the future. Please watch this space for the announcement of further conferences in the SCOOCh/E.M.E.R.G.E. series, along with other Pan-Orthodox events, designed to bring our faithful together in the unity and love imparted unto us by Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ via the Orthodox Christian Church.
Photos courtesy of Mr. Aria Selassie Battiste & Dr. Christine Agaibi
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