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ELCA Congregation to Appear on the Letterman Show

ELCA Congregation to Appear on the Letterman Show

December 20, 1996



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

- - -
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

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