The Rev. Jill Jarvis, minister, Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, 1263 N. 1100 Road:

I entered college at the height of the war in Vietnam. As we rode the dorm elevator together that second day, my new friends talked excitedly about the anti-war demonstrations happening on campus. One young woman from Oklahoma knew way more about this war than the rest of us. Her church, she explained, had organized an anti-war exhibit in its lobby, and invited community groups to visit and learn. I felt confused. An activist church? In the Bible Belt?

Then and for a couple of decades afterwards, I wasn’t interested in religion or church. But finding myself raising children in a materialistic, violent culture, I eventually sought a progressive “village” to help counter those influences. I wanted a place where I was free to explore my own spirituality — or not. Remembering that conversation in the elevator, I checked out the Unitarian Universalists. It felt like a homecoming. Clearly, these were my people.

My college friend from Oklahoma never knew the life-changing impact her words had on me. When I looked her up forty years later (“I’m a UU minister because of you!”) she didn’t even remember the conversation. She simply lived her faith and openly talked about it. She didn’t question anyone’s beliefs, try to “convert” them, or imply that her religion had The One Great Truth.

If you’ve found a religious home that nurtures your spirit, helps you live into your best self and inspires you to build a better world — why keep that a secret? Tell others about it! Invite them if they’re interested. Visibly live your faith and your values.

And if you don’t want to seem like you’re forcing your beliefs on others, then just don’t. Accept that there are many ways to lead a good life. Respect the fact that not everyone is interested in yours, and that’s OK.

— Send email to Jill Jarvis at jjarvis1@kc.rr.com.

Justin Jenkins, lead pastor, Velocity Church, meets at Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.:

We never need to be intimidated about sharing our faith with friends. Of course, nobody likes having something forced on them – even if it’s a potentially good thing. The Gospel is the same way. In fact, the Gospel literally means “Good News.” When something good has happened in your life, you want share it. It can be as simple as sharing your story with someone. Tell someone how God has helped you through a rough time. Tell someone how a scripture encouraged you or brought clarity to an area you were confused about. Tell someone how the experience you had at church, recharged you for the week. Even better, if the Gospel is good news, it ought to show up on your face. It’s a lot easier to communicate the gospel when the passion that you feel, matches the excitement that you display.

Apart from that, an easy way to share your faith with a friend is to invite them to come to church with you. At Velocity, our church has grown because of this simple idea – You bring your friends who are far from God and we will make sure they feel welcome and honored as we present the gospel in a clear, fresh and exciting way. We’re not the only church that does this, and the way we do it might not work for everyone. But I believe the best way to share your faith with someone is to invite them to be a part of your life. And this is a simple way to do that.

— Send email to Justin Jenkins at info@findvelocity.org.