A couple who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary have encouraged spouses to stay prayerful and work through any differences.

Bermudian Harold Lambe was one grade ahead of Marilyn, from New Jersey, when they met at Zion Bible College in Rhode Island, in 1960.

After marrying in 1963, the couple, both reverends, lived in Bermuda until 1965 and then worked in churches throughout the United States for almost four decades — including in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Kansas City, Kansas.

The Lambes returned to the island in 2003, when Mr Lambe was appointed the senior pastor of Evening Light Pentecostal Church in Pembroke.

They had two children — Jonathan, 49, who is now the senior pastor at Evening Light and a daughter, who passed away in 2018.

Mrs Lambe said: “I am excited and pleased that our son decided to pursue ministry”.

A memory that stands out to her is the couple’s wedding in Morristown, New Jersey.

She recalled: “We had the reception on our front lawn. We had 250 guests and there was no tent, awning or anything. Thank God it was a nice day and did not rain.”

The Lambes said they both prayed that they would marry the right person while dating each other and asked God for guidance throughout their marriage.

Ms Lambe said: “There were some hard times but we stuck it out, loved each other, listened to each other. I really feel I married my best friend.”

Mr Lambe added: “Marriage is not a sprinting race, it is like a marathon — you have to keep pushing.”

The couple celebrated their diamond anniversary on Thursday and had a lunch honouring the milestone at Rosewood Tucker’s Point on Saturday.