Last Updated: March 19, 2025
Introduction
Clarkston United Methodist Church ("Clarkston UMC," "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website (clarkstonumc.org), including any other media form, media channel, mobile website, or mobile application related or connected to this website.
We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal information. By accessing or using our website, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our website.
Information We Collect
Our Commitment to You: We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes under any circumstances.
Personal Information You Provide to Us
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:
- Create an account or register for events, classes, or services
- Make a donation or payment through our online giving platform
- Complete contact forms or subscribe to our newsletter
- Register for worship services or other church events
- Submit prayer requests or other ministry-related submissions
- Apply for volunteer opportunities within our church community
- Communicate with us directly through email, text, or other messaging platforms
The types of personal information we may collect include:
- Identity Information: Name, date of birth, and photographs
- Contact Information: Email address, mailing address, and phone number
- Account Information: Username, password, and account preferences
- Financial Information: Payment method details (note that banking or credit card information is not stored on our servers and is handled and stored by third party vendors)
- Family Information: Information about your family members when you register them for events or programs
- Ministry Interests: Information about your interests, spiritual journey, and areas where you'd like to serve
- Technical Information: Device and usage information collected automatically when you visit our site
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, we may use cookies, server logs, and other similar technologies to automatically collect certain information, including:
- Device Information: Computer or mobile device type, browser type, and operating system
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and other actions taken on our website
- IP Address: Used to determine approximate location and for security purposes
- Referral Information: How you arrived at our website (search engine, social media, or direct link)
How We Use Your Information
We may use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve our website and the services we offer
- Process donations and event registrations, including sending confirmations and receipts
- Communicate with you about church news, events, and ministries that may interest you
- Respond to your inquiries, including prayer requests and ministry questions
- Administer and protect our website, including troubleshooting and security purposes
- Analyze usage patterns to improve user experience and content relevance
- Fulfill any other purpose disclosed to you when you provide the information
Legal Basis for Processing (for EEA and UK Visitors)
For visitors from the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom (UK), we process your personal information based on one or more of the following legal grounds:
- Consent: Where you have given us explicit consent to process your personal information
- Contractual Necessity: Where processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to you
- Legitimate Interests: Where processing is in our legitimate interests and not overridden by your rights
- Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with our legal obligations
Sharing Your Information
Third-Party Service Providers
We may share your information with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents who perform services for us or on our behalf, including:
- Payment Processors: To process donations and payments
- Email Service Providers: To send newsletters and communications
- Database Services : To store attendance and prayer request data
- Analytics Providers: To help us understand how our website is used
These third parties have access to your personal information only to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information where required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).
Protection of Rights
We may disclose your information when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.
Church Directory
If you choose to be included in our church directory, your basic contact information may be made available to other church members in accordance with your specific consent for this purpose.
Your Privacy Choices
Account Information
If you have an account with us, you can review and update your personal information by logging into your account settings.
Communications Preferences
You can opt out of receiving certain communications from us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in any email we send, or by contacting us directly.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can usually choose to set your browser to remove or reject cookies, but this may affect certain functions of our website.
Do Not Track
We do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" signals or other similar mechanisms.
Children's Privacy
Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us, and we will take steps to remove that information.
Data Security
We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the security of your personal information. However, please understand that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Data Retention
We will retain your personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, including to satisfy any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this Privacy Policy indicates when it was last revised. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and, where appropriate, sending you a notification.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Clarkston United Methodist Church
6600 Waldon Rd
Clarkston, MI 48346
Email: cumcoffice@clarkstonumc.org
Additional Information for California Residents
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California residents have specific rights regarding their personal information. This section describes how to exercise those rights and our process for handling those requests.
Your Rights Under the CCPA
- Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell about you.
- Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: You have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your CCPA rights.
Additional Information for European Visitors
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have certain rights regarding your personal data under applicable data protection laws.
Your Rights Under GDPR
- Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Rectification: You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
- Erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Restriction: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Data Portability: You have the right to receive a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Objection: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Withdraw Consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where we relied on your consent to process your personal information.
If you believe our processing of your personal information violates data protection laws, you have a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority responsible for data protection in your country.