Contemporary Christian artist Francesca Battistelli will perform at Lake Winnepesaukah’s Jukebox Junction Stage Sunday, July 18, with one show at 3 p.m.

All Jukebox Junction concerts are free with admittance to Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park. All guests under 18 must be accompanied by a guest age 18 or over and must purchase either a combination $5 gate admission and $13 value strip of ride tickets or $5 gate admission and $21 unlimited ride pass. Or they must be a member of a chaperoned group.

Guests over 18 must purchase a $5 gate admission and may choose to purchase individual ride tickets or a ride package. Children two and under are admitted free but must pay to ride. Parking is free.

Park hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information, call 706-866-5681 or toll free 877-LAKEWIN or visit lakewinnie.com.

At 15, Battistelli put her skills to good use in an all-girl mainstream pop group in Orlando.

When the gig eventually ended, Battistelli said she was thankful for an opportunity to clear her head.

“Not long after, I recharged my batteries by going to this youth ministry that I absolutely loved,” Battistelli said. “It was there where the Lord really captured my heart for Christian music. I started playing guitar and really longed to bring something authentic to the scene that even non-Christians could listen to."

Her major-label debut “My Paper Heart” was inspired by everyone from the jazz greats her dad introduced her to as a kid, to contemporaries like John Mayer, Sara Bareilles and Nichole Nordeman. Battistelli said she set out to write “soulful pop music that someone pops in the morning and says, ‘Now I can start my day. I feel encouraged.’”

Her first single, “I’m Letting Go,” not only highlights Battistelli ’s expressive vocal but her overarching desire to encourage her peers not to settle for anything less than what God has for them.

“There’s a line in the song that says ‘I feel like I’m falling/And that’s what it’s like to believe,’” Battistelli said. “Walking in faith is like free-falling, yet that’s the best place to be. But so many of us are afraid to do that.”

But even more important to Battistelli than offering up a collection of catchy songs for the masses is speaking a message of truth and purpose.

“Ultimately, I want to be an encouragement as an artist and a fellow believer,” Battistelli said. “The Lord has continually called me to do things that are outside my comfort zone, whether it was accompanying myself on guitar for the first time in front of seasoned players or packing up and moving to Nashville knowing hardly anybody. Still, He’s never left me, and He constantly shows me that it’s worth it.”