Hi, I am Tom Atkins, founder of Quarry House. Besides my day job at Quarry House, I serve as a bi-vocational licensed pastor at Rupert United Methodist Church, a small parish in Southwestern Vermont.

I was raised Methodist. I spent much of my adult life heavily involved in the Baptist tradition, and spent a few years in the Presbyterian tradition before returning to my roots in the Methodist Church. Every denomination, I have learned, has something unique and powerful that draws people to them. This is the stance of the United Methodist Church as well, so we are a good fit.

Spiritual Counseling

I have been providing spiritual counseling to clients for several years now. Spiritual Counseling is different from going to see a counselor or therapist because of it's focus on your spirit, and whatever your faith background might be. (I have worked with Christians, Jews, Bhuddists, Hindu, and even Shamen.). When you see your own spirit, and God's spirit in whatever form you see God, as the center of your growth, change or recovery, then a spiritual counselor might make sense for you. Often, at a client's request, I fold spirituality into my regular coaching work.

Spiritual Gifts

In 1998, I found myself teaching a Sunday School class on Spiritual Gifts. It was a topic that was new to me and I did a lot of reading and preparation.

None of my book study however, could have prepared me for the impact on the class members. As one by one, each member discovered their own gifting, and how their gifts brought clarity and power to their faith lives, I saw real transformation. At the end of the session, each person in the class felt empowered with a strong sense of personal mission. No longer just slots in a chart of jobs to be filled, they moved to positions that used their gifts, and found a joy and effectiveness that they had never experienced.

This was good for the church, but it was also good for each individual, because when we are doing what God has equipped us to do, the "work" becomes easier and energizing. Burn out becomes a thing of the past. Enthusiasm and excitement grows naturally.After seeing this happen in several classes, I said to myself. "There is something to this!" and decided to go to seminar to learn more. I graduated with a D Div degree from Christian Bible College and Seminary in 2004.

Though I an now a pastor of a church, I continue to preach, teach, coach, and do retreats on Spiritual Gifts for others. Sometimes I find myself working with leaders of companies and other organizations as well, working to integrate spirituality, life and work.

Spirituality at Work

What if work was more than a job?. More than the work? What if it touched the people who worked for you, renewed and built their spirits, and uplifted them and your clients. It can happen. I can help.

What can I do for you?

I hope this answers a bit of what you hoped to find when you clicked the "ministry" link. When I am not serving my own churches, I preach and teach and do retreats for other churches, ministries and organization. Feel free to contact me. Let's talk about what you want to do or become, and see where I can help. Everything great starts with a conversation.