​St. Mark’s Welcomes
Reverend Scott Claassen
​as our Interim Rector, Priest in Charge

St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley welcomes Reverend Scott Claassen, now serving the parish as Interim Rector/Priest-in-Charge and shepherding the community as it searches for a new rector.
 
He is a fifth-generation Californian, raised in Monterey County, with local roots, attending high school at Cate School in Carpinteria. He received his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University and attended Yale Divinity School.
 
For the last eight years, Rev. Claassen served as the Episcopal chaplain to UCSB and Vicar of St. Michael’s University Church. Scott and his wife, Maribeth, a certified nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner, have three sons—Henry (10), Jimmy (8), and Amos (5).
 
In his free time, Scott enjoys surfing, exploring the wilderness, playing music, and dreaming of new ways to make a love-spreading difference in the world.

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Dear St. Mark’s in the Valley, 
 
            My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to be with you all! You are blessed with both a gorgeous campus and a welcoming community. For years, I have admired your embodiment of gospel values and your exceptional hospitality. Now, I look forward to partnering with you all in that work. I am honored to be part of the next chapter in such a remarkable church, and I firmly believe that God will do incredible things at St. Mark’s. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime via email at scott@smitv.org or come by the office to say hello. May God continue to bless us all and lead us to make a love-spreading difference in the world. 

With gratitude and hope, 
​The Rev. Scott Claassen

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Biography

​The Rev. Scott Claassen is the husband of Maribeth—a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner—and father of Henry (10), Jimmy (8), and Amos (5). Scott is a fifth generation Californian who was raised in Monterey County but spent his high school years at Cate in Carpinteria. After studying Spanish Literature and Philosophy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Scott worked as a musician alongside artists ranging from Willie Nelson to the Decemberists. A renewed call to ministry brought Scott to Yale Divinity School, where he investigated the relationship between religion and ecology. Those studies led to a Carbon Sabbath in which Scott spent one year without flying or driving. During that time, he bicycled over 11,500 miles around the country while engaging Christian communities in dialogue about climate change. Later, Scott served an emergent Episcopal church in Santa Monica called Thad’s, where he was ordained in a laundromat as part of a Laundry Love ministry. Most recently, he spent 8 years as the Episcopal chaplain to UCSB and vicar of St. Michael’s University Church. When not working or with his family, Scott is usually surfing, exploring wilderness, playing music, or dreaming of new ways to make a love-spreading difference in the world.