“In the Spotlight”. . . Meet Nicholas Shifrar
Tell us about yourself/your family: I'm a new UU. Signed the book last year. Good ol' Joseph B Herring brought me to the First U in fall 2015. After Rev. Tom G's sermon on the social gospel and hearing about this socially progressive congregation that includes Tim DeChristopher and Victoria Sethunya, I thought I might just make this place my home. I'm born and raised in Salt Lake City. I've been ready to get out for the last two years. Grad school is my next ticket. Look out Boston, Berkeley, or Chicago.
Where you grew up, what you did/do for a living, your hobbies, and interests:
I'm a poet at heart. My mother is one of my heroes. She's a nurse practitioner with a big heart. My dad is an asshole- that's a term of endearment. I love him too. He thinks the same of me and I suppose those are our prerogatives. We're flawed bipeds learning to love.
I've spent most of my professional life in service at hospitals. Mostly I've worked as a Psychiatric Technician at the Neuropsychiatric Inst. Right now I'm split between the food industry and working in an addiction recovery center. I'm aiming to be situated in an academic medical center so that I might teach, spend time with patients, and give public presentations on keeping the heart of compassion beating in the medical industry.
Other specific interesting things about yourself/your family that you’d like to share:
I was raised Catholic-ish. I went to a college prep school where I succeeded in sleeping through the majority of my classes. I was woken up in college. My family is not religious, though my mother will come to church with me on occasion. My dad is done with organized religion. Their professional lives have been in hospitals. They met in Salt Lake because of the world famous slopes.
Do you have a favorite quote or motto that you like, which guides your life?
EE Cummings, Mary Oliver, Rumi, and Cornel West are often rattling around in my frontal lobe.
What first brought you to the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake?
The wine. I stayed for the social justice.
What does First Church mean to you/how does it enrich your life?
First church is a weekly reorientation to the infinite possibilities of love. The First Church is a place for spiritual and intellectual development. The First Church is connection to community.
How do you participate in the church?
Discombobulatedly- a new word that must exist. I sing in the choir when I show up on time. I've been writing essays alongside the wonderful Carol Romagosa. I've been participating here and there with the young adult group.
Why did you decide to sign the book? (officially become a member)
I heard it was the only way I could keep getting wine at social gatherings without feeling guilty. At least Unitarians won't send me to hell. The real reason is that I feel refreshed for life when I sit in the pews for a service. I'm also in love with the socially-conscious progressivism that characterizes Unitarian history. I'm a lyrical dissenter on the fallible quest for unarmed truth. I'm seeking to be more than simply a dissenter; I'm seeking to be a compassionate agent of change in the world.
Do you pledge, if so, why?
I do when I'm not in the red myself. I pledge for all the reasons you've pulled from my previous answers. If I didn't pledge, how would we get the wine?