Biographical Information about Bruce & Claudia Porter -

After their marriage in 1976, Bruce and Claudia began launching ministries and outreach projects around the world together. They helped plant a church in St. Louis, then established a campus fellowship at William Woods College. Later, they traveled throughout Europe and the Middle-East preaching the gospel in churches, on the streets, and in student organizations like YWAM.

After their return to the U.S., they ministered across the country, eventually settling in Aspen, Colorado, where they planted a church and began their family. In the ensuing years, they planted churches in Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs, training leaders who eventually went forth and planted other churches around the country. During this time they continued to minister overseas, with seminars, rallies and gospel campaigns. Later, they helped establish church ministries in  Denver and Littleton. They now give oversight to Torch Life Simple Church.

They have three children, Naomi, Jesse (and his awesome wife, Aubri), and Hannah.

Originally from Missouri, Pastor Bruce received the grace of salvation in Christ in 1972 shortly after his service in Vietnam with the Air Force. Shortly after, he joined a discipleship training ministry in Eureka, California where he studied theology, church planting, missions and participated in the establishment of a ministry in Chicago, Illinois. He received his honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Promise Christian University.

Bruce is the author of The Martyrs' Torch, The Story of the Columbine Massacre. In this book, he shares the challenge he gave at the internationally broadcast funeral of slain Columbine student Rachel Scott, to "take up again the blood-stained torch that Rachel carried... and has now fallen from her hand. A torch of love, compassion, truth, and the good news of Jesus her Savior, whom she was not ashamed of, even in her hour of death." Hundreds of thousands of people have been inspired to "take up the torch. " Torchgrab Ministries (www.torchgrab.org) was birthed at this time.

Bruce has been privileged to minister in over 40 nations of the world in school assemblies, conferences, youth rallies, churches and national media appearances. He is also a pilot, holding Commercial / Instrument ratings, and serves as a Moral Leadership Officer with the Civil Air Patrol, official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. In addition, he served as a volunteer firefighter/Chaplain with Inter-Canyon Fire/Rescue. He responded to and served at some of the world's hotspots in recent years bringing the grace of Christ to hurting people.

• at ground zero in New York City after the 9-11 terrorist attack.
• at the site of the crash of American Airlines flt. 587 in New York
• in Israel during the first Gulf War in 1982 and again recently in 2006
• in the Philippines after Typhoon Ike
• in Erfurt Germany in the wake of the school massacre there
• in Beslan, Russia after a terrorist attack at a school
• in Red Lake reservation after the school shooting
• In Nickle Mines, Pennsylvania after the Amish tragedy

Claudia grew up in southern California and came to Christ in college. As Associate Pastor and co-founder, she has extensive experience as a church planter, worship leader, High School teacher, pastoral and guidance counselor, and Christian school administrator. Claudia is an author published in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul 2. She developed and the Torchgrab youth ministry team that ministered worldwide just after the Columbine tragedy. A motivational teacher and speaker, she has keynoted conferences, women's retreats and regularly brings powerful, practical teachings and pastoral care to the local church. Claudia also teaches Music at Front Range Christian School. For their 30th wedding anniversary, the Porter family celebrated by traveling to China to bring Bibles to the underground church and visit and volunteer at their daughter's original orphanage.