Introduction
Evering.uk (referred to as “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our website visitors, members, and all individuals with whom we interact. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
By using our website, services, or interacting with us, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
1. Who We Are
Evering.uk is the official website for Evering Pentecostal Church, a religious organisation based in the United Kingdom. Our primary purpose is to serve our community, facilitate worship, provide pastoral care, and organise events.
2. What Personal Data Do We Collect
We may collect and process various types of personal data, which may include:
Identity Data: Name, title, date of birth, gender.
Contact Data: Postal address, email address, telephone numbers.
Financial Data: Bank account details for donations (though we typically use third-party processors for direct payments, in which case we do not store your full financial details).
Transaction Data: Details about donations made, event registrations, and services you have accessed.
Profile Data: Your interests, preferences, feedback, and survey responses.
Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, products, and services.
Technical Data: Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
Communications Data: Your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties, and your communication preferences.
Special Category Data: Due to the nature of a church, we may, with your explicit consent, collect special categories of personal data such as religious beliefs (implied through membership or attendance), health information (e.g., for pastoral care, safeguarding, or event accessibility), or details about children (e.g., for Sunday school registration, with parental consent).
3. How Do We Collect Your Personal Data?
We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including:
Direct Interactions: You may give us your Identity, Contact, and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email, or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
Apply for membership or register for events.
Make a donation.
Subscribe to our newsletters or publications.
Request pastoral care or support.
Provide feedback or contact us.
Automated Technologies or Interactions: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs, and other similar technologies.
Third Parties or Publicly Available Sources: We may receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources, such as analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics).
4. How and Why We Use Your Personal Data
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:
To administer our church and provide services:
Managing your membership or involvement.
Organising and managing events, services, and activities.
Providing pastoral care, support, and spiritual guidance.
Facilitating donations and managing financial records.
Communicating with you about church news, events, and updates.
For safeguarding and welfare:
Ensuring the safety and well-being of children and vulnerable adults within our community.
Responding to safeguarding concerns in accordance with legal and organisational policies.
To improve our website and services:
Analysing website usage to enhance user experience.
Troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting, and hosting of data.
To comply with legal obligations:
Meeting our statutory and regulatory obligations (e.g., charity law, financial reporting).
Responding to lawful requests from public authorities.
5. Lawful Basis for Processing
We rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data under UK GDPR:
Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., subscribing to a newsletter, providing special category data for pastoral care). You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.
Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This might include administering our church, communicating with our community, or improving our services. We ensure a balance between our legitimate interests and your rights.
Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation that we are subject to (e.g., financial reporting, safeguarding duties).
Contract: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract (e.g., processing event registrations where a fee is involved).
Vital Interests: Where processing is necessary to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person (e.g., in a medical emergency).
Public Task (for religious organisations): In some cases, processing may be necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. For religious organisations, this can include processing for religious purposes.
6. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We may share your personal data with:
Third-Party Service Providers: We use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our website, conduct our business, or provide services on our behalf (e.g., payment processors, email communication platforms, website hosting, IT support). We only share the minimum necessary data and ensure these providers are contractually bound to protect your data and comply with UK GDPR.
Professional Advisers: Lawyers, bankers, auditors, and insurers who provide consultancy, banking, legal, insurance, and accounting services.
Law Enforcement and Regulatory Bodies: When required by law or to respond to valid legal processes (e.g., court orders, police requests).
Other Church Members (with consent): For specific purposes like prayer chains or community support, with your explicit consent.
We do not sell, rent, or lease your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.
7. Data Security
We have implemented appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered, or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors, and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have procedures in place to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
9. Cookies
Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. For detailed information on the cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them
10. Changes To The Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this policy periodically for any changes. Significant changes will be communicated through our website or direct communication where appropriate.
10. Contact Information
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us:
Email: Church@evering.uk
Postal Address: 1 Suffield Rd, South Tottenham, London, United Kindom, N15 6JX
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.