Contact: Dick & Diane Baumbach, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, 321-544-3440, dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Dec. 13, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- The search for the longest married couple project sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith-based marriage enrichment program in this country, enters the family holiday period with over 125 nominations from 36 states. 

"It is our hope that we can honor, not only the national longest married couple, but one couple from each state.  Based on what we are seeing many family members along with longtime friends are nominating couples for the award," explained Scott & Karen Seaborn and Fr, Tom Griffith, SVD, the United States Ecclesial Team for WWME.

Dick & Diane Baumbach and Fr. Dick Morse, who serve as the North American Weekend Pillar for the WWME movement and are overseeing the project, added, "We know that traditionally families get together during the holiday period and what a perfect time to nominate parents or grandparents who have been married for a long time." They also said that couples can nominate themselves for the recognition.

In addition to continuing to accept nominations for couples living in all states, they are particularly being sought from the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming.

Plans call for the Seaborns and Fr. Griffith to personally present the longest married couple in the United States with a special gift during the February 2012 Valentine's Week from the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement.  The state winners will be presented their certificates of achievement by Worldwide Marriage Encounter couples. 

Nominations, which are open to all husband and wife couples regardless of faith expression, may be submitted by email, regular mail or by calling a special phone number. 
 
The contact information for sending in a nomination, which simply requires the name of the couple, their wedding date and where they currently reside plus a phone or email address,  is as follows: email dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net; regular mail Dick & Diane Baumbach 1430 Scorpious Ct. Merritt Island, FL 32953 and special phone number 321-453-2475.  Nominations must be received by January 9th, 2011.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 42 years and is considered the original faith-based marriage enrichment program.  The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society, and WWME now offers evening and half-day programs that are presented at parishes and other church facilities.  The weekend program, traditionally presented as an overnight experience at a hotel or retreat center, can also be presented at the parish where the couples return to their homes in the evenings.  WWME has a presence in over 90 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world.  In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, and Korean languages.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples the opportunity to spend time together away from the busyness of the world to focus on each other.  It offers tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in today's world.  To learn more about the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends online, go to wwme.org, or you can call 1-800-795-LOVE (English) and 1-800-599-AMOR (Spanish), or contact the WWME Office at (909) 863-9963.