Print edition: 
Just beyond the west shore entrance to Cheney Lake in the shade of a tidy, covered shelter, the sounds of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" played in harmony with bird songs and chirping crickets on Sunday morning.
While Old Glory rustled in sleepy campsites and a lone sailboat braved the lake's wind-tossed waters, about 60 churchgoers sang the tune in tribute to the Fourth of July.
"It's God's country," Cheney resident Norma Compton said, looking toward the lake. "We both love the outdoors."
Compton and her husband, Earl, spend their Sunday mornings at Cheney Lake taking a "Time Out for God." The 30-minute non-denominational church service is offered to campers and area residents by Lester Zook, pastor for the First Mennonite Church in Pretty Prairie.
The service starts at 9 a.m. on Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
It's a come-as-you-are gathering, said Zook, who heads the service.
"Shorts, T-shirts. (It's) just that kind of informal setting," he said.
It's the way Sam wanted it, Zook said.
Lutheran pastor Sam Whittiger started the service in 1966. His goal, said John Pool, another former "Time Out for God" pastor, was to bring God to campers who might not otherwise go to church during their vacations.
Whittiger didn't care if people came in swimsuits or their Sunday best, Pool said.
"It is highly informal," said Pool, who led the service from 1982 to 2000. "The only thing that they ask of people is that they come."
The idea appealed to Blanche Wiechman. It's been her summer church service for 45 years.
She used to help clean the picnic tables after Sunday service. Now the 98-year-old sits in her car as she listens to Zook's preaching. Her son, Dwayne, brings her each week.
"If he (my son) didn't bring me, I'd get here somehow," Wiechman said.
"I enjoy it."
