Grace Ministries USA held their Third annual “Sporting Clay Classic” Christian Outdoor Enthusiasts event at:
Rose Hill Plantation in Nashville, N.C. on Saturday, June 2, 2018

Grace Ministries USA Annual Sporting Clay Classic was held on Saturday, June 2, 2018, at Rose Hill Plantation in Nashville, N.C. The event was a great success again this year and was filled with fun competition, fellowship, and prayer. Our Sporting Clay classic has become a tradition for the ministry and we are blessed that we are able to hold it at one of the country’s most elite clay tournament venues.

Sporting clay participants and their families and friends gathered for the friendly competition and shared lunch prepared on the grounds. A fun part of the event is the silent auction and the door prize drawings, where everyone’s a winner. The highlight was hearing Mitch Pullen’s testimony of faith.

Mitch Pullen is one of Grace Ministry’s original Board of Directors members. He is a retired Ranger from Nash County, N.C. before that he was Assistant County Ranger in Brunswick County and District 8 Strike Team Leader. As a member of the District 8 Strict Team, he and his team were sent to assist in fighting fires throughout the United States. Mitch shared an experience he had fighting a fire in Yellowstone National Park where he was part of a team that was sent into the wilderness to help contain a fire.

The fire in Yellowstone Park was a life-changing experience for Mitch. He and his team were assigned a leader from the area, who happened to be a Native American Indian, experienced in fighting fires within the park. Mitch stated, “The dangers of fighting wildfires can be life-threatening, especially when things go wrong. In addition, there is the threat of wild animals like grizzly bears, wolves, and mountain lions seeking safety from the fire”. The fire was dangerous, and as the team worked to build buffers, they noticed the fire was coming closer to them; during the night the fire started surrounding them. Mitch said it was like “Satan’s flaming arrows coming at you and it gives you a new perspective on fighting fires in the wilderness”. He said he knew things were bad when their leader told them he was concerned that the entire team was not going to make it unless they could be rescued and airlifted to safety. “Thankfully, we were all airlifted out with not much time to spare,” commented Mitch. He that shared during this time his faith in the Lord and in prayer strengthened him. Mitch said he has learned that in bad and good times we have to remember that through our Lord we have “the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and sword of the spirit which always provides us with defense and protection.”

By Scott Yates

Special Thanks to this year’s amazing sponsors!