Pastor Jim Cymbala was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Upon graduation from the University of Rhode Island, where he enjoyed a successful career playing basketball, he entered the business world and married his childhood sweetheart, Carol.
Although unforeseen by them, God soon called Pastor Cymbala and Carol into ministry. Arriving at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, they found a congregation of fewer than twenty people meeting in a rundown building located in an impoverished part of downtown Brooklyn. During his early years of ministry, discouragements and challenges nearly led Pastor Cymbala to resign. He desperately sought the Lord for a breakthrough in the church and in his ministry that would reflect what could be seen in the early church in the book of Acts. God clearly spoke to his heart that prayer was the source of the power and change that they needed. As a result, the Tuesday night prayer meeting became the most important service of the week for the church. Today Pastor Cymbala’s ministry is still characterized by his emphasis on prayer in the church and dependence on the Holy Spirit for His leading and power.
