June 9, 2015

Mercy announced today that top Christian artists Point of Grace, Michael Passons, and Ellie Holcomb will be featured praise and worship leaders for its fall premiere event The Freedom Experience held in Nashville at Christ Church October 2-3, 2015. Avalon’s Michael Passons will join Point of Grace to open the Friday evening session and Ellie Holcomb will lead worship segments during Saturday’s morning and afternoon sessions.

The Freedom Experience is a new event presented by Mercy that for the first time imparts to the public the life-transforming keys to freedom used for over 30 years in Mercy’s residential counseling program for troubled young women. Guest speakers will include Mercy Founder and President Nancy Alcorn and several seasoned counselors and leaders within the Mercy organization.

More than good music and prominent speakers, the two-day event is meant to be a practical resource to individuals or organizations, specifically teaching attendees the seven keys to lasting freedom that thousands of Mercy residents have effectively implemented in their lives to overcome life-controlling issues such as depression, eating disorders, physical and sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, and self-harm.

“Whether we’re aware of it or not, we all carry ‘baggage’ of some kind,” said Mercy Director of Outreach, Melanie Carter. “Unfortunately, this ‘baggage’ can really get in the way of our living a fruitful Christian life.”

“At Mercy, we’ve found that God’s truth applies not only to the extreme situations we’ve seen inside our Mercy homes, but also to the everyday struggles that we all face,” Carter continued. “We want everyone to experience true and lasting freedom, so we’re thrilled to be able to share these biblically-based, life-transforming tools with people outside the walls of our homes.”

Established in 1983, Mercy has served over three thousand young women between the ages of 13 and 28 in its four U.S. locations, including Nashville, Tenn.; Monroe, La.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Sacramento, Calif. While 85% of all Mercy residents have reported being in previous treatment centers or programs without lasting results, 94% of former Mercy residents reported “yes” in a 2013 independent survey when asked “Did Mercy help you transform your life and restore your hope?”