Meet Gene Stark

Bringing the Word of Life to the 1870s Minnesota Wilderness Historical fiction author tracks the exciting life of an 1870s circuit riding missionary. 

CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO, June 27, 2018 – Dropped from a stagecoach into the harsh, yet beautiful wilderness of western Minnesota in 1874, Pastor August Hertwig faces isolation, severe weather, and extreme physical hardship. Yet God leads him to the love of his life in the strong, determined Elizabeth and together they forge and amazing ministry. "During the 1870s western Minnesota was on the edge of a changing civilization. An aura of excitement and danger prevailed as immigrants flooded into the area," said author Gene Stark. (CrossLink Publishing, 2018, $16.95, available at http://www.flyovercountryscribe.com.) (CrossLink Publishing, 2018, $16.95, available at http://flyovercountryscribe.com.) "I had never wondered before if I would see another summer. Yet on that day the question crossed my mind." The frontier town of Alexandria, Minnesota in 1874, attracted immigrants longing for land and freedom. Yet the newcomers to this wild, beautiful, and dangerous landscape needed the stability, love, and peace found in the Word of Life. Pastor August Hertwig, called to this ministry and dropped from a stagecoach into a stunning yet hostile place, faced isolation, severe weather, and plagues of locusts as he struggled to bring the permanence of Church and Faith to settlers striving to carve out a life in this new land. God led him to the love of his life in the strong, determined Elizabeth and together, in faith, they forged a powerful ministry based on the eternal Word and manifested in vibrant Christian congregations. Pastor Hertwig tells his own story of immigration which takes him from his childhood Germany to the very "ends of the earth." Traveling on foot and by horse, his ministry covered several counties where he started sixteen congregations, many of which still exist today. "God in a God-Forsaken Land" is a journey of faith and adventure in 1870s pioneer Minnesota. Historical fiction author tracks the exciting life of an 1870s circuit riding missionary. Historical fiction author tracks the exciting life of an 1870s circuit riding missionary.