God has brought the Brooklyn Tabernacle from a handful of members in a small rundown building in a difficult area to a congregation of more than ten thousand weekly attendees. Pastor Cymbala and his wife, Carol, who directs the popular Grammy Award–winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, have been used by the Lord not only to preach the gospel in the inner city of New York but also to see new churches grow out of the congregation across New York as well as domestically and internationally. The ministry of the church has from the outset reached out to the cross-cultural melting pot of New York City. It is comprised of men, women, and children of all ethnic and national origins. Central to the growth and expansion of the church, however, has been the continual emphasis on prayer, from the Tuesday night prayer meeting that is attended by thousands to the prayer band, made up of members of the church devoted to boldly calling on the Lord for needs from around the world.