The picture (right) shows Bill Gnodtke's wife Pam, a second cousin of him, that lives in Scharnitz, Kurt Virkus (right side), the Priest Franciszek Pudlewski and Bill Gnodtke when they were handing over the window money in February 2007.

Die Fenster

Bill Gnodtke from Charlevoix in Michigan/USA said:

"The church  has special meaning to our family as my grandparents, Carl August Heinrich Gnodtke and Marie Lohraff Gnodtke were married in the Lutheran church of Gross Tuchen on 15 November, 1889.

... My wife Pam and I took 13 of my cousins on a Route to our Roots trip in 2002.  It was the next year at our family reunion that we, my cousins and I, first discussed doing something to help stop the deterioration. Pam and I were back in Gross Tuchen in 2005 and first met the new priest.  He let us view the old church records and arranged for a custodian to get a key and let us in the church.  They had put in three windows at that time.  When we got back from that trip I contacted the cousins and said that I had found the project, raising the rest of the money for the windows.  They agreed.
We then raised the money in 2006 and we delivered it in February of 2007. The windows are now all in.

They said in 2007 that they wanted to get an organ and would like to rebuild part of the balcony."

 Groß Tuchen - ein Dorf in Hinterpommern
 Die evangelische Kirche zu Groß Tuchen