After the vote, some church members wiped away tears. Others said they were relieved it was finally over.

Members of Fremont Presbyterian Church – the largest Presbyterian Church in the Sacramento region – ended months of speculation Sunday when they voted to leave their national denomination and join one that church leaders said reflects more traditional beliefs.

By a vote of 427 to 164, members voted to seek dismissal from the Presbyterian Church USA and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Church leaders said their denomination had strayed from biblical adherence, most recently in July when the national denomination permitted the ordination of openly gay clergy.

"Let me make it clear that Fremont didn't leave the PCUSA, they left us," said senior pastor the Rev. Donald Baird shortly before the vote.

For two months, members have been in turmoil about the vote to leave the national denomination which ordained Scott Anderson – a former Sacramentan – the first openly gay minister in the Presbyterian Church last week.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has about 2 million members and is one of a growing number of mainline Protestant churches that have voted to accept gay clergy.

The list includes the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church. The United Methodist Church is still debating.

Fremont becomes the seventh church in the Sacramento area – including churches in Roseville, Fair Oaks and, most recently, Redding – to leave the Presbyterian denomination in the past couple of years. About 100 congregations nationally have left in the last five years, according to the Presbyterian News Service. Many joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Sunday afternoon, nearly 800 people packed into the Fremont church – across the street from Sacramento State's main entrance – for the largest congregational meeting in church history. The mood was cordial but at times tense. Over two hours, members on both sides of the issue headed to the microphone.

Supporters of the vote to leave said the PCUSA had strayed from biblical teachings and no longer reflected their church's views.

Mark Eshoff, executive minister, said the issue was more than gay ordination; it was about Scripture and remaining focused on Christ.

Clair Parsh, a member for 50 years who also favored leaving the denomination, said, "This is a day of rejoicing. It frees us from the controversy that has split the church."

Those who wanted to remain asked to delay the vote so they could learn more about the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, but they were turned down. Many expressed concerns that the Evangelical Presbyterian Church's theology is too narrow and that Fremont should be a welcoming community.

"Jesus taught us to be inclusive," said Nancy Aaberg, who said she was concerned about the Evangelical Presbyterian Church's stance on divorce.

John Simpson, who has sung in the choir for 30 years, said: "This is a narrowing of our faith. It will be painful, but I will leave."

Cindy Harris, a member for 11 years, was in tears after the vote. She said she could not join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church because she is preparing to become a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA.

She does not support the other church's views. "I think God can and will call whoever he wants to call, regardless of sex or orientation," she said.

Biblical adherence and the ordination of gay clergy became a flashpoint last week when Anderson was ordained in Wisconsin.

In an phone interview Friday, Anderson said he was overwhelmed by the response, the majority of it supportive. He doesn't believe churches should leave the denomination over the issue of gay clergy.

"I think the Presbyterian church has always been a big tent," Anderson said. "There's not a right view or wrong view, there are multiple views."

Fremont church leaders will meet with Presbytery leaders in the next few weeks to discuss the next steps, including property issues.

Presbytery leaders do not not know what type of fallout will come with Fremont's decision to leave – or if other churches will follow.

"This is very sad, very painful," said Jay Wilkins, transitional presbyter. "It's sad when friends feel they have to distance themselves from the rest of us."

What's next for Fremont?

Healing, said Baird. He is glad the church vote is over and wants the congregation to move on.

Baird said he spent most of his life preventing a meeting that would lead to his church leaving the denomination. "Now that's its done, all I can say is I feel a sense of relief."

Editor's note: This story was modified from a previous version to clarify the name of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee's Jennifer Garza, (916) 321-1133.

• Read more articles by Jennifer Garza