Privacy Policy

Last updated [DATE] · God’s Grace Gospel Ministries International, Hyattsville, Maryland

This policy explains what personal information we collect through this website and through the life of the ministry, why we collect it, and what you can ask us to do with it. It applies to gggmi.com and to the ministry’s activities in Maryland.

1. Who we are

God’s Grace Gospel Ministries International, also known as [Mercy Chapel — CONFIRM WHICH IS THE LEGAL NAME AND WHICH IS THE OPERATING NAME], is a religious organization based in Hyattsville, Maryland. Where this policy says “we”, “us”, or “the ministry”, it means that organization.

Our address is [FULL STREET ADDRESS, Hyattsville, MD 20785]. We are organized as [e.g. a Maryland nonprofit religious corporation, 501(c)(3), EIN XX-XXXXXXX].

Questions about this policy, or about your own information, go to [PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS].

2. Information we collect

We ask only for what we actually need. Depending on how you interact with us, that may include:

We do not buy personal information from data brokers, and we do not sell yours.

3. Sensitive information

Some of what we hold is sensitive, and we treat it that way.

Because we are a church, the simple fact that you have contacted us, attended a service, joined a group, or submitted a prayer request can indicate something about your religious beliefs. Under the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, information revealing religious belief is sensitive personal data and is subject to stricter limits than ordinary contact details.

We collect and use that information only where it is necessary to provide something you have asked us for, or where you have given consent. We do not use it for advertising, we do not use it to build profiles, and we do not disclose it outside the ministry without your permission.

4. How we use it

• Responding to your enquiries and staying in touch with you
• Running services, events, groups, and outreach programs
• Praying over requests submitted to us
• Recording and acknowledging financial gifts, and meeting our tax obligations
• Sending the newsletter or announcements you have asked to receive
• Keeping the website working, secure, and reasonably free of abuse
• Meeting legal obligations, including safeguarding duties

We do not use your information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

5. Prayer requests and pastoral care

Prayer requests are held in confidence. They are seen by the pastoral team and by those specifically praying over them. They are not published, read aloud, or circulated to the congregation unless you have asked us to.

If you would like a request handled anonymously, say so when you submit it and we will strip identifying details before it reaches the prayer team.

Pastoral conversations are treated as confidential. Under Maryland law, communications made to a minister in a professional capacity, in circumstances where the minister is bound to keep them confidential by church doctrine, are privileged and generally cannot be compelled in court. The next section explains the limits of that.

6. Safeguarding and mandatory reporting

You should know this before you tell us something sensitive, and we would rather be plain about it than bury it.

In Maryland, every person has a duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the local Department of Social Services or to a law enforcement agency. There is a narrow exception for a minister, clergyman, or priest where the information came through a privileged communication of a professional character in the course of discipline enjoined by the church, and where they are bound to confidentiality by canon law, church doctrine, or practice.

Outside that narrow exception, we will report. We will also act where there is a serious and immediate risk to someone’s safety. Where it is safe and lawful to do so, we will tell you first.

7. Giving and financial records

When you give, we record the amount, the date, the method, and, unless the gift is anonymous, who it came from. We keep these records to acknowledge gifts, to account honestly for what the ministry receives, and to meet Internal Revenue Service requirements. For a single gift of $250 or more, the IRS requires us to give you a written acknowledgment, and you will need it to claim a deduction.

Online giving is handled by [PAYMENT PROCESSOR NAME]. Card and bank details go directly to them and are never stored on our website or our servers. Their privacy policy governs how they handle that data.

8. Photography, video, and audio

We photograph and record services, events, and outreach programs, and we use that material on this website, on social media, and in ministry publications. Services and public gatherings are settings where recording should be expected, and notices are posted where we record.

Audio is different, and Maryland law is stricter than most states. Recording a private conversation requires the consent of everyone taking part. We do not record pastoral conversations, counseling sessions, or private meetings unless every person present has agreed.

If you would prefer not to appear in photographs or video, tell a member of the media team or [MEDIA TEAM CONTACT] before the event and we will do our best to keep you out of shot. If an image of you is already published and you want it removed, write to us and we will take it down from the platforms we control. Material already downloaded or shared onward by others is beyond our reach, and we will be honest with you about that.

9. Children and young people

We collect information about children through children’s ministry and youth programs: name, age, parent or guardian contact details, and any medical or dietary needs we should know about. We collect it from a parent or guardian, not from the child.

This website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requires. If you believe a child has given us information through this site, contact us and we will delete it.

Photographs of children are published only where a parent or guardian has given written permission, and that permission can be withdrawn at any time.

10. Who we share it with

• Ministry staff, pastors, and volunteers who need it for their role and are expected to keep it confidential
• Service providers who run parts of our infrastructure, such as our website host, email service, and payment processor, acting on our instructions
• Professional advisers such as accountants or attorneys, where genuinely required
• Law enforcement or child protective services, where the law requires it or a safeguarding concern demands it

We do not share your details with other ministries, partner organizations, or advertisers for their own purposes.

11. We do not sell your information

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for targeted advertising. We do not process it for profiling in a way that produces legal or similarly significant effects. Maryland law prohibits the sale of sensitive data outright, and we would not do it in any case.

12. How long we keep it

13. Security and data breaches

The site runs over an encrypted connection. Access to personal information is limited to people who need it, accounts use individual credentials, and our systems are kept up to date.

No system is perfectly secure and we will not pretend otherwise. Maryland’s Personal Information Protection Act requires us to investigate promptly if we believe personal information has been compromised, and to notify affected individuals, and in larger incidents the Maryland Attorney General, where misuse is likely. We will meet those obligations and tell you directly where the risk to you is real.

14. Your privacy rights

You can ask us to:

• Confirm whether we hold information about you, and give you a copy
• Correct anything inaccurate
• Delete information where we no longer have a good reason to keep it
• Provide it in a portable, machine-readable format
• Stop using it for targeted advertising, sale, or profiling, none of which we do
• Withdraw consent you previously gave, without affecting what we did beforehand

Write to [PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS]. We will respond within 45 days and may extend once where the request is complex. We may ask you to confirm your identity first, so that we do not hand your information to someone else. If we decline, we will tell you why and how to appeal, and we will decide an appeal within 60 days.

15. Cookies and analytics

Cookies are small files a site stores on your device. We use them to keep the site working, to remember your preferences, and to understand in general terms how the site is used.

Cookies strictly necessary for the site to function are always on. Anything used for analytics runs only if you agree, and you can change your mind at any time through the consent notice or your browser settings. We honor the Global Privacy Control signal where your browser sends one.

16. Emails and text messages

Every marketing email carries an unsubscribe link that works, and we will act on it promptly, as the CAN-SPAM Act requires. To stop text messages, reply [STOP or the agreed keyword]. We send automated texts only to people who have given prior express written consent, and message and data rates may apply.

We will still send messages you specifically asked for, such as a reply to your enquiry, an event confirmation, or a giving receipt.

17. Other websites

Our pages link to other sites, including social media platforms and partner ministries. Once you follow one of those links, this policy no longer applies. We are not responsible for how those sites handle your information.

18. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, tell us first at [PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS]. We would rather hear about it and put it right.

You may also contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General, which enforces the state’s privacy and consumer protection laws.

19. Changes to this policy

We will update this policy as the ministry, the website, or the law changes. The date at the top shows when it was last revised, and where a change materially affects how we use your information we will make that clear on the site.