The five-time Grammy and two time Dove Award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, under the direction of Carol Cymbala, will perform tomorrow night as a reminder of the victims of Hurricane Fabian and those lost during the World Trade Centre disaster.

But Senior Pastor Gary Simons, of the Cornerstone Bible Fellowship, on Church Street, Hamilton, said the non-denominational and multicultural church, who are playing host to the choir, will also celebrate its fourth anniversary on Sunday.

The Cornerstone Bible Fellowship is a sister church of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, which has a membership of over 10,000 people, and its pastor Jim Cymbala will be officiating an anniversary service, which is due to take place in the Ponciana Room, at the Fairmont Southampton, on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Pastor Simons said the idea for bringing the 250-strong Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir to Bermuda came when he was at the Tabernacle for a meeting in January.

He said: ?Pastor Cymbala suggested that we bring the choir to Bermuda this year. Last year they went to Jamaica, but they go to a country usually once every two years.

?Pastor Cymbala really felt that the choir should come to the Island. That?s when it started and since then we have worked out many logistics to make it become a reality.

?There has been a lot of work and numerous volunteers, Government Ministers and staff and the Premier Alex Scott, who have made the event possible.?

Pastor Simons said the choir arrived on Wednesday and are staying at the Fairmont Southampton until Monday when two planes will return them to the United States.

?We are looking forward to good music, but also a message of hope as well,? said Pastor Simons.

?Basically our main objective is to have this as a message to Bermuda, sort of a guidance to peace and giving them a message through hope.

?And to help heal the wounds of the families of the people that were victims of Hurricane Fabian, which would be one year to the date, and those who were affected by the World Trade Centre disaster.

?I see it as a way to use the influences that we have to bring a message of peace to the Island and that is why we thought it was a good idea to do this. It is an Islandwide event.?

The Pastor added that the event will also feature testimonials, such as Brooklyn Tabernacle member Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was the last person rescued from Ground Zero during the September 11 tragedy.

He said: ?Ms Guzman-McMillan is now a member of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, but prior to that she really didn?t have a relationship with the Lord.

?The tragedy was a wake-up call and she had to find the purpose as to why she survived. She was on the 64th floor when the first plane hit the tower she was in.

?She was there for close to an hour before they decided to run down the steps, but when she got to the 13th floor she felt the vibration of the other building falling. Although at the time she didn?t know what it was.

Pastor Simons said that when Ms Guzman-McMillan was rescued 27-hours after the disaster, her legs were crushed and it was thought that she would never walk again without assistance.

?She had multiple surgeries and has healed well,? he said, ?She has no marks on her face or anything like that and it looks as if she was never ever there.

?She also walks without any assistance or a crutch or a cane.?

Pastor Simons added that there will also be a free-will collection, as ticket sales have not covered the costs of bringing the event to Bermuda.

He said: ?It is our hope that it will help us to break even. At this point our greatest goal has been to cover costs, that?s why we reduced the cost to give as many people the opportunity to come and as a result we will be losing money and in people?s own generosity and free-will they can give if they want to ? it will be appreciated.

?With an event like this, the most difficult thing has been to secure the lighting, staging, because when we checked with the local vendors in Bermuda they were unable to supply lighting for 250 people.

?So a lot of things we had to get Government?s approval to get things from overseas. So everywhere we have looked we have seen people helping and coming together and we just thank the Lord for that.

?I guess we are realising how big it is, and it is close to 6,000 tickets that have been sold. So it requires us to be organised and prepared in all facets. We feel confident that we have people who are committed to their tasks.?

Almost all of the 7,000 tickets to the event have been sold and discounted tickets are as low as $20 to encourage people to come out to the event. But the $20 ticket offer ends today and at the gates tickets will return to the original price of $70 for adults and $40 for children.

Tickets for this exciting and inspirational event are on sale now from all CellularONE stores, Esso Automart, at Collector?s Hill, Smith?s, The Fairmont Southampton, the Christian Bookstore, Foreign Cargo, Jamaican Grill, Court Street, Hamilton, and All Talk, St. George?s.

Tickets can also be purchased online at the www.boxoffice.bm, but with ten percent surcharge.

For more information about the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Concert, contact 295-9640 or visit www.brooklyntabernacle.org.