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

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- The 2012 state winners of the annual Longest Married Couple Project sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith based marriage enrichment program in this country, were announced today.

"The number of years many of these couples are married is just awesome," explained Scott and Karen Seaborn, the United States Leadership Team for WWME.  The Seaborns serve with Fr. Tom Griffith, SVD, as the U.S. Ecclesial Team.

"There were 256 nominations from 47 states," the Seaborns explained, adding, "There are four couples married 78 years, many couples married 70 plus years and quite a few couples with 60 plus years of marriage. What a testament to having a commitment to a long marriage!"

The longest married couple in the United States, based on the nominations submitted, is Wilbur and Theresa Faiss of Las Vegas, NV.  They are married 78 years having made their marriage vows on April 14, 1933.  The Seaborns will be traveling to the Faiss' hometown on Feb. 11th to personally honor them at a special ceremony.

This year individual state winners will be recognized and honored by couples involved with Worldwide Marriage Encounter, all across the country, over the Valentine's week and weekend.

Winners of the initial project, which was held last year, automatically became members of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Longest Married Couple Project Alumni group.   Couples cannot succeed themselves each year as either national or state winners, thus giving an opportunity to honor other longest married couples across the country.

The list of the 2012 state winners and their hometowns are as follows:

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.

Media inquiries should be directed to:

Dick & Diane Baumbach (321) 544-3440 dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net