PRIVACY POLICY

Overview

The following summarizes the information collection and usage practices affecting visitors to the website located at: www.ststephenschurch.org

St Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Belvedere, California is committed to protecting the personal information provided by visitors to its website. We have created this Privacy Policy to explain why we collect particular information from visitors to our website, and how we protect the personal information of visitors to our website.

St Stephen’s reserves the right at any time and without prior notice to change this Privacy Policy by posting such changes on our website. Any such changes will be effective immediately upon posting. By visiting the St Stephen’s website, you consent to the information protection practices described in this statement.

What Information Does St Stephen’s Collect and Why?

St Stephen’s collects from visitors to our website only an Internet Protocol (IP) address and, where applicable, the other information specifically described below. We do not otherwise request or store personal information from our visitors. We do not sell personally identifiable information from our visitors. Except as required by law, or to protect the rights or property of St Stephen’s, or to complete a transaction or provide a service requested by a visitor to our site, we will not disclose the visitor’s information to any other person or entity, and in all cases we will use such information only for the purposes described below.

Collection of IP Addresses

We collect an IP address from each visitor to our website. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet. IP addresses do not contain personally identifiable information. We use IP addresses to administer our website, help diagnose problems with our server, analyze trends in use of our website, and gather aggregate demographic information to help us improve the site. We may use IP addresses in the future to help us deliver customized content.

Use of “Cookies”

Our website may use “cookies” to enhance your experience while visiting our website. Cookies are text files that some websites transfer to the computer that is browsing the site, to personalize the user’s experience while visiting the site, and to help analyze usage of the site. Use of cookies makes web-surfing easier for the visitor, for example by saving the visitor’s preferences and informing the server when visitor returns. Cookies are uniquely assigned to each visitor’s computer and can be read only by a web server in the same domain that issued the cookie. St Stephen’s does not use cookies to collect or store personally identifiable information about visitors to our website. We only will use the information we collect through cookies to understand trends in our visitors’ preferences, as a group, with the goal of improving our website.

Visitors have the ability to accept or decline cookies from our website. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies. If you would prefer not to receive cookies, you typically may change the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. It is possible that some areas of our website will not be properly viewable if the visitor refuses cookies.

Donate On Line

Credit card payments to St Stephen’s also may be arranged. All credit card transactions are conducted through a secure gateway. Credit card numbers are not collected electronically by St Stephen’s nor stored on the St Stephen’s server. Please contact the Business Office at the Church to make a payment by credit card.

Return Policy: All donations are non-refundable.

Security of Information Transmitted By Visitors

All information provided by visitors via the St Stephen’s website is transmitted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. SSL is a proven, widely-used coding system that permits the visitor’s browser to automatically scramble, or encrypt, information before sending it to St Stephen’s. We protect any such information we receive by storing it on a secure portion of our server that is only accessible by authorized employees of St Stephen’s.

When visitors provide St Stephen’s with personal information, we abide by any limitation as to its purpose that is expressed where it is collected.

Unfortunately, no information transmission over the Internet is 100 percent secure. While we strive to protect our visitors’ personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information.

Other Websites

The St Stephen’s website contains links to other sites from time to time. Please note that when you click on one of those links, you are entering a different website for which St Stephen’s has no responsibility, and to which our Privacy Policy does not apply. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on all such sites, as they may differ from ours.

Use of Your Photos & Media Opt-Out Form

We believe that using photos of friends of all ages in our print and web publications fosters a greater sense of community. Photography and video of our church members and friends help to display the vibrancy and joy of our church community. We use photos to enhance the quality of our print materials, newsletters, website, social media, publicity, and fundraising. As a participant in our church events, you have a right to opt out of inclusion in photographs/media, but unless an Opt-Out form is signed and on file, participation at our church events implies permission for the use of images taken at those events.

To opt-out, please complete and sign this Opt-Out Form and turn in the completed form to the church office along with your photo. Individuals who have submitted an opt-out form should also inform event photographers of their decision to opt-out so that they are not accidentally captured in crowd shots.

Remember: participation in our church events implies permission for the use of images taken at those events unless we have a signed opt-out form on file at the church office with a reference image of the person opting out.

Contact Us

Questions regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information transmitted to St Stephen’s may be directed to us by submitting this form.