FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 23, 2010

CONTACT: Lisa Streight Phone: 614/949-3878 Email: lstreight@wocumc.org

12-Year-Old Spoken Word Poet Joins United Methodist Church for Rethink Poverty Event
NeNe Ali scheduled to perform at rally in downtown Columbus May 1 WORTHINGTON, OHIO, April 23, 2010- The West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church welcomes 12-year-old spoken word poet NeNe Ali to Columbus as part of its Rethink Poverty event taking place April 30-May 2, 2010. Ali will perform on May 1 in a 5:30 pm rally of celebration on the Ohio Statehouse lawn after a day of service supported by the West Ohio Conference. Ali is also scheduled to perform at Sunday s 1:30 pm worship service on May 2 at Broad Street UMC, the final service in a weekend series dedicated to poverty. The event is set to kick off a week of discussions in Columbus between the United Methodist Council of Bishops on ministry with the poor. The day, filled with Learn and Serve workshops focusing on worldwide issues of poverty, will be led by the bishops and involve service components where participants will serve at four sites throughout the city. Born in the Bronx, NeNe Ali is an advocate on issues facing society and, through her poetry, tackles subjects such as homelessness and childhood inequality. Ali combines community activism with her passions for poetry and hip hop to spread a message of awareness and hope. At just 12 years old, Ali is well beyond her years having appeared at the famous Apollo Theatre in New York City and having been recognized for her work by many national civic leaders. She presents her message in a dynamic way, bringing a new audience to the fight against poverty. For more information about NeNe Ali and her work, visit www.neneali.com. The Love First Celebration and Rally will be an exciting conclusion to a day spent serving and learning about the issues that affect not only Central Ohio but are so prevalent worldwide. The rally will begin at 5:30 pm Saturday, May 1 on the West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse and will feature games, music, and special guests, including Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland. This event promises to be a celebration for people of all ages with the purpose of raising awareness to poverty, an ever-growing problem in society. Preceding the rally will be the Love First Walk for Children and Poverty taking place at 5 pm. The walk will begin at Broad Street United Methodist Church and end at the rally site, the Ohio Statehouse lawn. All proceeds from the walk support The United Methodist Children s Home, a ministry of the West Ohio Conference in Worthington, OH and Grace Children s Hospital in Haiti. Rethink Poverty is an event in connection with the Rethink Church campaign of The United Methodist Church. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to attend as we walk in service and ministry with the poor. For more information on Rethink Poverty and the weekend s events or to register, please visit www.rethinkpoverty.org. About Rethink Church
Rethink Church, the next evolution of The United Methodist Church s Open hearts welcoming and advertising campaign, highlights the many opportunities available within United Methodist churches to engage with the world from literacy programs to feeding the poor. Targeting a globally minded 18- to 34-year-old audience, Rethink Church advertisements appear in traditional and new media, and direct viewers to the Web site www.10thousanddoors.org, where visitors may interact, learn more about the church, and search for involvement opportunities. Rethink Church resources are available to local congregations at www.rethinkchurch.org.

About The West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church

The West Ohio Conference is the ministry office for nearly 250,000 Ohio United Methodist members, and 1200 United Methodist churches, community centers, camps, and affiliate organizations in 58 Ohio counties. The Ohio Council of Churches (OCC) is a partnership of 27 Christian faith bodies working together in service to God. Its seventeen denominations encompass some 6,000 congregations and more than 3,000,000 members. ###