LUTHERAN ?BOTTLE BAND? ON LETTERMAN SHOW
David Letterman will feature the ?Bottle Band? from St. Luke?s Lutheran
Church in Park Ridge, Ill., on his Monday night show Dec. 23. The Bottle
Band is unique. Led by Paul Phillips, a student at the Lutheran School of
Theology at Chicago, its 28 members ?play? bottles filled with various
amounts of water by blowing over their top or striking or plucking them.
?The band is a way of showing humor as a way of ministering,? said
Phillips. ?It provides a release for people -- an opportunity to enjoy
themselves and laugh.? Phillips? mother Doris was part of the draw for
Letterman?s producers. Letterman playfully involves his own mother in
on-camera routines. Doris Phillips, 80, who sits front and center in the
Bottle Band, will be interviewed by Letterman as part of the band?s
appearance. All the members of the band are Lutherans, most are
members of St. Luke?s Lutheran Church where Phillips grew up. He said
the group?s membership is ?stable and enduring.? For the Letterman
show they will wear tuxedos and perform popular Christmas tunes. The
Bottle Band attracted the attention of a Letterman producer who saw the
group?s performance on ?Wild Chicago,? a program of public television
station WNET.
For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service, (312)
380-2958 or AHAFFTEN@ELCA.ORG; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312)
380-2955 or FRANKI@ELCA.ORG; Melissa Ramirez, Assist. Dir., (312)
380-2956 or MRAMIREZ@ELCA.ORG
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
