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During hours-long worship services, the Ge’ez language reverberates throughout the Re’ese Adbarat Debre Selam Kidist Mariam Church.
Congregants prostrate themselves and bow when a priest walks among them swinging a censer burning incense.
Beza Bililigne is a deacon and youth ministry leader at the church.
"The sign of the smoke rising is our prayers also rising. So there's a lot of meaning if we were to dissect each and every thing done here within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church."
Abraham Habte-Sellassie is a “kesis” or priest at the church.
Abraham says there’s keen interest in preserving Ge’ez, and other traditions of the faith, for future generations in the bustling D.C. area, which is home to the largest Ethiopian diaspora community in the United States.
"Our tradition is ancient. It comes from apostolic times and we believe in holy tradition. We have the Bible, we also have the holy tradition, but the two are not separate."
To reach young people and new converts, DSK Mariam offers services in Amharic and English.
They also display translations in both languages on large TV screens during service.
And there are other modern touches: at the end of the service, church members record a video of an elder chanting a liturgy passed on from his ancestors, with the footage posted on the church’s YouTube channel to preserve it for future generations in hopes they maintain the tradition.
"These kids, if they learn the tradition, the language and also the faith of course, the religion. If they do that they can balance, you know, life here is very hectic, you know, and also geared toward material profit. But the tradition concentrates on, focuses on spiritual development."
The church was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1987.
It now has more than 1,500 registered members, and church leaders say more than 4,000 people attend services each week.
21-year-old Kannazegelila Mezgebu is a senior at Morgan State University in Baltimore, and one of the congregation's members.
"Here it's full of Ethiopians and full of people that are very welcoming because that's how we Ethiopans are. But when I'm here in this church, that's really how it feels and it really feels like home."
Beza Bililigne says symbolism is woven throughout their faith practice.
"When we first enter into the church, as you know, we take off our shoes. The reason we wear our "netela" symbolises the same way when Christ was born, he was wrapped in cloth."
And keeping with tradition, after the priest reads the liturgy, the holy Gospel is walked throughout the congregation.
"The deacon will take the Gospel and he'll take it to every believer in the church and they'll kiss that one Gospel that was read to symbolize their kissing the true words of our Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ."
Abraham Habte-Sellassie says DSK Mariam Church is part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churches, one of the oldest Christian faiths in Africa.
"If you look at our liturgy in detail, it has hardly changed over the last 2,000 years. So you get the real thing here, the real tradition. That's why they want to come here. And we're glad about that."
