Following a nationwide search, Reverend Laurel Coote was chosen and assumed her duties at St. Dunstan’s in early December 2020.
She succeeded the Reverend Robert W. Fisher, who was rector at St. Dunstan’s until June 2019, when he became the rector of St. John’s, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC.
Reverend Coote’s most recent pastoral assignment was as interim priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, a richly diverse urban congregation where she preached in English and Spanish and ministered to parishioners of Hispanic, Oaxacan and Japanese ancestries. Earlier, she was the associate for youth and spiritual engagement at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes Estates.
Prior to ordination, she served in multiple areas of lay ministry, including parish governance, Christian education, prayer ministry, and community and international out- reach. She also managed special projects in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
Reverend Coote received a Master of Divinity degree from the Claremont School of Theology in 2018.
Before entering the priesthood, Reverend Coote built a 25-year career in the meeting and event management industry. She served as the president of the Southern California Chapter of Meeting Professionals and was an adjunct professor of Hospitality Management and Business Ownership at Glendale Community College and San Diego State University.
Reverend Coote regularly looks outside church walls for community engagement. She has served as a Voyage Guide for Wonder Voyage, which organizes personalized pilgrimage and mission trips. Passionate about music, she has served on the board of the North Torrance Youth Musicians Ensemble, and founded a community Messiah Sing-along that has just celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Reverend Coote and her husband, Peter, reside at St. Dunstan’s rectory in Carmel Valley Village. Their son, Jordan, lives in Torrance, CA.