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For Immediate Release

Contact: Jason Gedeik, Sojourners, 202/745-4625, media@sojo.net

*******MEDIA ADVISORY******

Tens of Thousands of Christians in Ohio Commit to Voting Out Poverty This November

Poverty Sunday Campaign Holds Faith Communities & Candidates Accountable to Addressing Poverty Crisis in America

WHAT: Dozens of churches and tens of thousands of people of faith across Ohio are participating in Poverty Sunday, an election year initiative aimed at educating people of faith about God's concern for the poor and the need to reduce poverty. Pastors will be preaching sermons on poverty and the importance of prioritizing poverty as a moral issue that should be taken into consideration when voting for political candidates on November 4^th. Churches will set up tables for obtaining pledges from congregations to Vote Out Poverty in this fall election in addition to conducting voter registration.

WHY: Poverty Sunday is part of the Vote Out Poverty Campaign, a Sojourners' initiative to make poverty a central issue in targeted Congressional races in 2008, and to put poverty on top of the political agenda for Christian voters. Through the campaign, churches, clergy, and faith leaders will be educated around the biblical imperative to overcome poverty and will be mobilized to pressure candidates to embrace these goals.

WHO: Over thirty teams representing over a dozen states across the country are working in local communities to encourage churches to host Poverty Sunday.

MORE INFO: To learn more about what faith communities across Ohio are doing or to interview a faith leader engaged in this initiative please contact Jason Gedeik at media@sojo.net or 202-745-4625.

WHEN: Every Sunday from September 21^st through October, 2008

HOW: Go to www.voteoutpoverty.org for more information and http://www.sojo.net/action/alerts/VOP_poverty-sunday-toolkit.pdf for a Poverty Sunday toolkit full of resources to help pastors organize a service to educate and inspire their congregations to act on the issue of poverty.

OHIO FAITH COMMUNITIES IN ACTION:

The denominational staff of the United Methodist Church in Ohio has embraced the Poverty Sunday initiative and the VOP campaign. They are even going so far as to further tailor the campaign to several Ohio specific issues that contribute to poverty. UMC Poverty Sundays will take place Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.

Poverty Sunday in Cincinnati will take place Oct. 12th, with Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati participating in an "Option for the Poor" Sunday in connection with the Catholic Faithful Citizenship campaign, to be joined by large evangelical churches in Cincinnati on the same date who will host their own Poverty Sundays. Over 20,000 people will be reached in the pews on Oct. 12th in Cincinnati.

Poverty Sunday in Ohio is supported by the Ohio Council of Churches, the Hunger Network of Ohio, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, the central Ohio United Church of Christ, and other denominations, numerous churches, and campus ministries - most notably Ohio Weslyan University, which is sponsoring an entire Poverty Week for the student community based on the Poverty Sunday initiative and VOP campaign.


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