How important is it that you have a good relationship with the community? Pretty darned important. From the looks of this article…KFC gets it. Yes, yes, I know…it's all marketing. But how cool is it that they've agreed to plug pot holes in streets of communities who haven't been able to keep up.
What are you doing to keep a great relationship with your community? As a camp or conference…particularly as a Christian camp or conference center, I'm sure there have been stories (some of them maybe even true!) circulating among the townsfolk about what goes on at your place. I remember at Shepherd's Fold, folks in Avant were convinced we were selling drugs back in the early 70s.
At the time, I just thought that it was a rumor we could do nothing about. Best to just grin and bear it. Now, I know there are things we could've done, should've done, much earlier. Just some positive attention to our community would've gone a long way toward setting things right. Many years later, we finally learned. I was on the school board, we opened the facility for use by the kids of the community on specific days, we did a camp program just for town kids, we tried to employ folks from nearby instead of "outsiders."
What can you do? What needs are there in the little town you're located in that you can help with? Believe me, many non-profits are finding out too late the damage that a rift with the community can cause. A simple community relations focus could be a real ministry for you…and some pretty good marketing too. Don't be so focused on the "ends of the earth" that you miss the folks and the needs that are right under your nose.
SFR and drug dealing, that’s hilarious.