The Rev. Troy Towns is challenging minorities to get involved with their communities and their governments.

Towns, director of minority outreach for the Alabama Republican Party, spoke to a group of more than 100 students and community leaders gathered for a Pike County Republican Women’s event on Wednesday.

Towns said the organization is trying to help organizations connect with monitories in their communities..

“I am in the process of going to every county in Alabama, all 67 counties,” Towns said. “I’m going to each county’s Republican meetings and telling them they’re missing this one feature — love.

“Our real question is, ‘What can we do? What outreach can we do in this area?’ I’m challenging you to find something you can do.”

Towns said the Republican Party must understand the changing landscape of our times. The outreach program aims to adapt to the different ways of reaching out to people, no matter their ways of life.

“We have to understand the time of the season that we’re in to understand this party,” Towns said. “We need to effectively understand where we are. One common denominator was our faith and our values. No matter who I talked to, we agreed on certain things. Those were them.”

Ginny Hamm, president of the PCRW, said the event was annual and generally targeted members of the community who are not usually present at PCRW meetings.

Hamm said the organization chose Towns because they felt he appealed to all members of the community.

“We felt like Troy would appeal to our entire community,” Hamm said.

“He would bring a message of hope and encouragement and truth. We never know what to expect and I feel it was very successful. We had diversity of participants today. We had people come that have never come to our meetings, and I think it’s because of Troy.”

Towns ended his message to those in attendance with the idea of being part of the “remnant.”

“Be a part of the remnant,” Towns said. “We are just a small part of the whole.

“All it takes is a few good men, a good few people, to make a difference.”