COLUMBIA, Md. — Please God, give me salvation — and a car.

That prayer may have been uttered by more than a few people at a Maryland church on Sunday. That’s because Destiny Church in Columbia handed out five used cars to demonstrate God’s goodness and to attract new members.

The Washington Post reported that the church gave away the cars to increase attendance at its new location. It was the first Sunday at a building in a strip mall for the 7-year-old nondenominational church.

Pastor Stephen Chandler said the predominantly African-American church normally draws up to 1,100 people. This week, the church gave away 2,250 tickets in advance of three services.

The church added a fourth service, which meant it had to buy another car to give away. The fifth car was given to a family in need.