May 2024 Newsletter

“So They Are No Longer Two, But One Flesh. Therefore, What God Has Joined Together, Let No Man Separate.” – Matthew 19:6

We will be hosting our first ever GROUP WEDDING! It is common for couples to live together instead of getting married, mostly due to financial restraints, It can cost several months’ worth of wages! Even pastors and church leaders live together for years without getting married. Leaders are to set an example, especially in the church. If the congregation sees the pastor living with a woman without being married, they will od the same thing. Once they start having children, it becomes even more difficult to afford a wedding.

In Liberia, there are three different options for getting married:

1) They can do the traditional wedding where they usually exchange a cola nut. A dowry is paid to the bride’s family and clothing is purchased for family members. If the couple were living together and have children; “damages” need to be paid on top of the bride price. The traditional wedding will also include food and entertainment, which can be quite costly. Also, in the traditional marriage, the groom can have up to four wives legally. This is mostly done by the Muslim men or those in the villages. To get the government marriage certificate, it can cost up to $250 USD, which is expensive for the couple.

2) They can get married by combining the traditional wedding and the Western wedding. Sometimes it is done the same day or can be a week apart. The Western wedding is like everything we do in the US. So, now the bride has to pay for a white wedding dress because she cannot wear the same African dress she wore for the traditional wedding. There will be a second full reception after the wedding. The bride and groom will also rent a car to parade in around town.

3) They can go to court and get married. The culture has made weddings out of reach for so many couples.

Grace To Liberia and New Hope Christian Church from Virginia have teamed up to help the Liberians who want to get married. We are especially targeting those couples that have lived together for years, but want a clear conscience before God and man. They will receive a church certificate, which can later be used to get the government certificate.

Stay tuned for our next newsletter for the continuation of this wedding story!

By Grace,
Monika and Caleb Sannoh