About Rupert Methodist Church

On the plus side, Southwest Vermont is blessed with an abundance of God's natural beauty, kind loving people, and a sense of community that is often lacking in larger metropolitan areas.

On the other hand, Vermont is the "least churched" state in the union, and Rupert United Methodist Church, like all churches in the area, is faced with the challenge of bringing people into God's family, no matter what the social climate.

We offer a church family. People who care. A please to heal, grow, learn, worship and service in an atmosphere of acceptance. You won't get lost here. You will only be loved.

God's word. God's love and God's promises never lose relevance. His word is transformational. His promises are eternal. His love is unconditional. Our mission is to nourish our own and embrace God's people throughout the our home, and our world, to bring them into God's family.

The Future
Every church, from the largest metropolitan megachurch, to a small rural church like Rupert United Methodist, has the same mission, and the same challenge: How do we spread God's word and bring people into closer relationship with God, in an increasingly secular world?

We believe the secret is not a secret at all. By striving to live Jesus' summary of the entire scripture: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind." and "Love your neighbor as your self.

We invite you to join our faith journey, to become part of our future, and to become part of Rupert United Methodist Church.

Tom Atkins graduated from Virginia Tech with a BA in English, minoring in Drama, History and Communications. He holds a MA in Creative writing from Hollins University, and D. Div. From Christian Bible College and Seminary.

Atkins is a bi-vocational pastor. He has been an integral part of three start up divisions and systems integration companies: The Whitlock Group, TGS (later bought by Ascent Media) and Diversified Systems , designing and project managing Television and other broadcast and A/V facilities throughout the U.S.

In 2011, Atkins founded Quarry House, which works with businesses and individuals in business and personal development as a coach and consultant as part of the John Maxwell Team, as well as continuing his work in broadcast and AV design and project management.

Raised in the Methodist Church, and an ordained deacon in the Baptist Church since 1984, Atkins has preached and taught at churches in many denominations, with a particular focus on teaching and leading people to understand and develop their spiritual gifts. After moving to West Pawlet, Vermont in 2009, he began attending Rupert United Methodist Church, and began as supply pastor there in September 2013. He began the process of becoming a licensed United Methodist Pastor in 2014, completing that work in 2015, and was appointed officially to Rupert United Methodist Church as of July 1, 2015.

As a bivocational pastor, Tom is also a Leadership and Life coach and consultant at Quarry House, a published poet, freelance writer of marketing copy, magazine articles. fiction, non-fiction and essays, as well as an artist and photographer. He is still a newlywed, married to Cindy Atkins since May, 2017.