The Brooklyn Tabernacle

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is directed by Carol Cymbala, the wife of Pastor Jim Cymbala The 270-voice choir, which for the most part is composed of vocally untrained church members, has recorded three videos, three DVDs and numerous albums, winning five Dove Awards and six Grammy Awards. They had the honor of singing at the Billy Graham Crusades that were held in New York City's Central Park and Flushing Meadows Park as well as the 2012 Presidential inauguration in Washington, DC to an estimated viewing audience of 1 billion people. Performing at other renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Madison Square Garden Theatre, the recognition that the choir has received has provided them with an open door ministry in presenting the gospel message through music to people all over the world. After nearly thirty years of recordings and live performances, Carol and the choir continue to rely on the Lord for his grace and direction in their ministry. The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is a highly unlikely group of people, a mixture of ethnic and economic backgrounds, in the heart of a city synonymous with coldness and decay. Made up of doctors, attorneys and former street people, nurses and ex-crack addicts, the choir is a unique cross section of humanity. Pastor Cymbala explains "None of us would have met if it weren't for Christ. Our backgrounds are just too diverse. But all of us have one thing in common: we have all been lifted up and changed by the power of Jesus Christ. So the choir sings, not about a mere theological doctrine, but about what has happened to them. It's not just the lyrics of a song; it's a reality to each of them. Starting each rehearsal with prayer reinforces that principle as the choir asks the Lord to bless their music and anoint their songs for the services.