TEMECULA -- In a conference room at the Temecula Valley Assistance League building, a flock of worshippers voiced personal prayers during last Sunday's service. One asked for a resolution to "the struggles and divisions" within the church.

Yet, that gathering only highlighted the deepening rift in that Christian community. Those prayers were recited at the debut service for Temecula Valley Anglican Fellowship, which was held less than a half-mile away from St. Thomas Episcopal Church, the home of their former comrades in faith.

The service was the latest salvo in a chaotic battle for the souls -- if not the hearts and minds -- of believers after a series of ideological decisions, including the ordination of an openly gay bishop, inspired some parishes to split from the national Episcopal Church.

About 75 people attended the first service of Temecula Valley Anglican, which is called an outreach ministry of St. John's Anglican Church in Fallbrook.

St. John's has been at the forefront of the struggle. It split from the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego due to theological disagreements. The diocese and St. John's are currently arguing in the courts to determine who actually owns the land and sanctuary where St. John's currently meets.

But instead of consolidating resources for a protracted legal battle, St. John's decided to expand into Southwest County, offering what officials call a traditional option for churchseekers.

"In our opinion, there is no church in the area that offers sacramental worship that is faithful to the orthodox interpretation of Scripture," said the Rev. Don Kroeger, who celebrated the Temecula Valley Anglican service. "It's what … the church has believed for 2,000 years. We had several people from Temecula who asked us 'Is there anything you can do to make (going to church) more convenient?'"

Kroeger said opening a new house of worship was not intended to be a slap at the three Episcopal churches in Southwest County. Its proximity to St. Thomas was based on the affordability of the site, he said.

Local Episcopal faith leaders have said about 400 people attend those three churches. Pastors for those churches have pledged unity with the San Diego diocese.

Both Episcopal and breakaway churches, such as St. John's, are still considered part of a network of faithful called the Anglican Communion -- an association of 22 national churches. Each national church is considered independent. However, it is that loose alliance that enables a local church to split from a diocese and remain Anglican. Episcopal churches that have broken away have aligned with foreign Anglican bishops, for example.

Conservative Episcopalians believe the national church abandoned Scripture by installing an openly gay bishop, the Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire in 2003. The fissure grew when Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori -- who supports Robinson -- was later elected to lead the national church.

Murrieta resident Rick Powell said his family had left the Episcopal Church several years before that due to other decisions he thought ran contrary to Anglican belief. He went to the Temecula Valley Anglican service and plans to continue attending.

"It's been said throughout the centuries, the Anglican Church is built like a stool with three legs," Powell said. "We take the Scripture to be primary. If Scripture's not clear, we take tradition to be our guide. Where tradition is not clear, we take reason.

"In my opinion, the Episcopal Church has changed that paradigm to where it's reason, followed by tradition, followed by Scripture. The demotion of Scripture is the reason (we left)."

Kroeger said a series of decisions that go against Scripture, not simply the Robinson vote, led to St. John's leaving the diocese.

"I've never even preached against homosexuality," Kroeger said. "I've preached against sin.

"The church is reinterpreting Scripture. We could not abide by that. I believe what we believe is consistent with 90 percent of Christian churches."

The Rev. Robert A. Nagy of St. Thomas Episcopal said the national church is known for its squabbles. He said that while in seminary, a historical study was to be compiled on greater controversies within the Episcopal Church.

"They stopped monitoring when it got to 200 (issues)," Nagy said with a laugh. "That umbrella can only get so wide."

Last week, Nagy reasserted St. Thomas' loyalty to the San Diego diocese.

Kroeger said he did not recognize about one-third of those attending the Temecula Valley Anglican service. The rest were people who would otherwise have attended a service in Fallbrook. Thus, he figures the local Anglican church is about halfway to its target of 50 residents that Kroeger thinks it will need to be self-sustaining.

Despite the new congregation nearby, Nagy doesn't believe his flock will abandon St. Thomas en masse. He cited a survey that asserted first-time churchgoers attend a house of worship based on proximity rather than core belief.

"There's a place for everybody," Nagy said. "The last thing anybody wants is angry people in their pews. If it happens that people get nourished at St. Thomas … or elsewhere, God bless 'em.

"But if there's an argument over whether gay clergy should exist, Satan's laughing over that one."

Contact staff writer James Curran at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2627, or jcurran@californian.com.