MercyMe. Not merci, like the French word for thank you, or mercy, the English word for compassion or sympathy, but a popular Christian rock band that's slowly climbing the mainstream charts.

MercyMe will be performing at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Reserved tickets are approximately $16 to $35 and are on sale now.

MercyMe will also be sharing the Bryce Jordan stage with Jeremy Camp, The Afters, and Monk & Neagle.

The band, originally from Greenville, Texas, consists of six members: Bart Millard, Nathan Cochran, Michael John Scheuchzer, Robby Shaffer, James Bryson and Barry Graul.

Michael Schomer, general manager and a founding partner for the local radio station, REV FM 89.1, described MercyMe's sound as adult contemporary.

"In central Pennsylvania [MercyMe] has a fairly big following and [its audience] is geared toward 18 and older, college students and young adults in their mid-twenties or thirties. Outside of their crossover hit, "I Can Only Imagine," their music has an upbeat pop and rock sound to it," Schomer said.

The band originally started out as an independent band before it found real mainstream success and was signed to a record deal by Brickhouse Entertainment.

Kim Nehs, an employee of Brickhouse Entertainment and a manger for MercyMe, has been involved with the band since 2000.

"[MercyMe] has done several shows in the Northeast and central Pennsylvania. They also do the Creation Festival and 60,000 people attended last year," Nehs said.

Nehs noted that Mercy Me draws from its faith when songwriting.

"[The band] relates to the Christian faith... they write songs and sing based on what's in their heart," she said. "They have had three songs hit mainstream, 'I Can Only Imagine,' 'Here with Me,' and [their most recent single] 'Homesick.' "

Although the band mainly concentrates on their Christian market, the concert will still be a typical concert.

"[MercyMe] puts on a great performance... they have a great light and video show, it's not just six guys who go out on stage," Nehs said. "They have comparable equipment and staging to any other band and a great, high-energy performance."

Although they do concentrate on playing Christian music, the band's latest album, Undone, is a mixture of rock and ballad songs, and its single, "Here with Me," even has a Coldplay vibe, Nehs said.

Annette Vitale Marshall, the administrative/web coordinator for the United Campus Ministry at Penn State is trying to spread the word about the concert. The United Campus Ministry at Penn State is an ecumenical ministry that represents seven different Protestant denominations.

"I'm trying to put the word out so the Christians in the area would participate or there would be fewer Christian events to go to," Marshall said.