May 7, 2015

Because her song He Knows My Name recently reached number one on the charts for 14 weeks straight, it’s safe to say a lot of people know Francesca Battistelli’s name and her great talent. Mercy certainly does!

Nashville Mercy residents and staff were blessed to have celebrated Battistelli’s recent musical accomplishments in a surprise presentation last week at the Nashville Mercy home. Battistelli came to the home as she had in a prior visit last fall to lead a private time of worship, sing some of her original songs, and encourage the residents with her personal stories of faith. Little did Battistelli know that a team from her record label, Word Entertainment, was waiting to honor her for the multiple achievements He Knows My Name has garnered.

Rod Riley, President and CEO of Word Entertainment, presented Battistelli with a plaque to commemorate He Knows My Name which spent a combined 14 weeks across three Christian AC radio formats. “God is using music to impact lives,” Riley said. “We’ll never see the full impact this song has had this side of Heaven, but we are seeing some of the fruit now.”

The “fruit” Riley referred to is the increased awareness about Mercy that Battistelli’s He Knows My Name video has generated. Last October, Battistelli and Word Entertainment partnered with Mercy to release a 12-minute short film for the song that includes stories of transformation from four Mercy graduates. The video has since been viewed over 1.2 million times, and according to Mercy Intake Director Ashley MacLachlan, it has been the direct catalyst for many hurting young women to apply to Mercy and get the help they need to overcome their life-controlling issues.

Battistelli took the video nationwide on the 2015 Winter Jam tour and spoke about the work of Mercy during her portion of the multi-artist concert. When the tour hit the Nashville and Lincoln areas, our local Mercy residents were able to attend. At those particular concerts, Battistelli not only dedicated her performance of He Knows My Name to the Mercy residents in attendance, but she also had the residents’ individual names flash up on the overhead screens while she sang.

During a special question-answer exchange at the end of last week’s program, the residents were able to personally thank and share with Battistelli how they have been impacted by her music—specifically by He Knows My Name and Winter Jam. For many of the girls who have felt alone and unnoticed, that song and concert experience was a great reminder that God knew their names and had not forgotten them. One resident shared, “When I saw my name up on that screen…I had just never felt that special, that loved before.”

To express their mutual appreciation for their unique partnership, the Mercy and Word teams exchanged gifts. Mercy gave Battistelli an original piece of artwork by Karen Harv ey and Word presented a duplicate of Battistelli’s plaque to Mercy. Both gifts will serve as reminders of what God has done through Battistelli and He Knows My Name to bring healing to many girls.

To watch the He Knows My Name video, click here!

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