One Mennonite congregation in Guatemala City takes school so seriously, it even happens on Sunday.

Casa Horeb is a Mennonite church in Guatemala that spends its Sundays in worship and in classes, according to Mennonite World Review.

For 10 hours, before and after services, traditional learning takes place at the church to provide children and adults with an opportunity to attain state education equivalencies that they were previously unable to.

It was something EduVida Director Elena Bercián said the church was doing to help others realize the opportunities before them.

EduVida began with five students, growing to 12 in 2015. As of January, 123 students were able to begin schooling in levels ranging from primary to high school.

150 additional students came from another education centre that was not fully authorized, at the request of the Department of Education. Despite the additional office work and administrative assistance required from the school's quick growth, Bercián says the experience of serving has been a joy.

Around 1.4 million Guatemalans are illiterate today, says Casa Horeb elder, Benjamín Sywulka. 2.5 million are in the education system currently, but many never finish school. This hinders their ability to provide well for their own families later on.

“If someone can go from an informal job to a formal company doing the same job, it’s a doubling in salary, even for a maintenance worker,” Sywulka said.

Why the long day of classes? Conditions of accreditation require the church to operate the school for 10 hours each week, which results in long Sundays at the church for many who can't afford to spend part of their weekdays away from or in addition to work with the long commute.

The program is funded completely from the church's budget, but with 13 teachers employed and a budget average for the church of less than $2,000 monthly, the school has impacted the church with its huge financial and time demands.

To support the school, many church women sell food, and one teacher has foregone medication for a year to make ends meet.

“We can’t keep growing it without more funding, but miraculously we keep growing,” Sywulka said.

A huge inspiration for the church comes from an Anabaptist seminary also located in Guatemala City, called SEMILLA.

Casa Horeb's influence in the community has impacted the church as well, says EduVida's director. With many students coming from troubled backgrounds, an offering of love, respect, and a chance for a better life has borne incredible fruit.

"I think we’ve learned to develop other capacities, other values and knowledge,” said Bercián. “Most of all we’ve received love from the students. They are very grateful because they come from very different contexts in life."