For those who never received a high school diploma, it's never too late to go back to school and finish. At one Augusta church, some GED students are finding extra inspiration in the classroom.

“My direction led me here, so when you're in the house of the Lord you get all kinds of feelings, you get inspiration, you just get that feeling like, ‘Yeah,’ said Rhoda Long, a student in the GED class at Macedonia Baptist Church.

Going to school and going to church are one and the same for Long, she's one of more than 20 students working toward a GED at the church.

“You got God up here, your heart right there and everything else around just keeps you motivated,” she said.

One of those motivators students agree on is the support of class instructor, Pam Baker.

“I got in trouble twice at two schools and got kicked out, so I thought it was all over, but coming here gave me a second chance to start all over again,” Student Patrick Frankmann said.

“She takes time, she wants you to learn, wants you to strive, she just pushes you and pushes you,” Rhoda Long said.

Baker is also the executive director for RHEMA Connections, Macedonia's non-profit outreach group in charge of the food bank, shelter and GED programs.

“It's a ministry. This is that second chance, for some of them, it's that last chance and they can work at their own pace,” Baker said.

“I want to believe ours is different because of the ministry and what we do, what we offer. We have people come in and do computers for us, so they get exposed to Excel and the Microsoft packet. She helps them with resume writing; we do interviews skills. When they leave, even if they don't finish, they have something to take with them,” she said.

You can help support RHEMA Connections with their efforts to keep outreach programs, like the GED class, going strong.

Call 706-364-6135 for tickets to their Annual Sweetheart Ball, Friday, February 9th at the North Augusta Community Center at 8 p.m.

If you're interested in getting your GED, classes are free, just call Augusta Technical College Adult Education at (706) 771-4131.