NASHVILLE (AP) - First lady Michelle Obama brought an audience of 10,000 African Methodist Episcopal Church members to their feet as she exhorted them to get involved in the issues that affect their lives.

Speaking at the AME Church's 49th General Conference in Nashville on Thursday, Obama praised the church for its role in fighting slavery, segregation and disenfranchisement of blacks at the ballot box.

How to tackle challenges like childhood obesity, poor schools and unsafe neighborhoods can be less clear-cut, she said. But she told the crowd that laws still matter and still shape our lives.

She asked them not to get overwhelmed by today's problems.

Appealing to their faith, she said, "If a simple fisherman could become the rock upon which Christ built his church, surely we can do our part."