Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Beacon Church
Oakes Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 6PX
Charity No. 1206109
Email:
info@beaconchurchuk.org

Website: www.beaconchurchuk.org

1. Who We Are

Beacon Church is affiliated to the Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Ireland. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly and transparently.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you interact with us through our website, events, communications, and church activities.

We act as the Data Controller, which means we decide how your personal information is used.

2. What Personal Data We Collect and Why

We collect personal data to enable Beacon Church to:

  • Stay in touch with you regarding church life, community activities, and events
  • Provide pastoral care and administration
  • Manage church services, safeguarding, and communications
  • Comply with legal and charitable obligations

The personal data we collect may include:

  • Name, address, email address, phone number
  • Church involvement details (e.g. teams, groups, attendance)
  • Communication preferences
  • Any information submitted through forms (e.g., contact forms, signup forms)

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Beacon Church processes personal data based on:

  • Your consent
  • Legitimate interests in operating and administering the church
  • Legal obligations where applicable

Information collected automatically

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Pages you visit and actions taken
  • Device information
  • Cookies and similar technologies

3. How We Store and protect Your Data

Any personal data supplied with consent is stored securely within the Beacon Church database. Our primary church management system is ChurchSuite, a third‑party, password‑protected platform.

Access to personal data is restricted to Senior Leaders and authorised Beacon Church administrators.

Your personal data will be removed from our database if you inform us that you no longer wish to be part of Beacon Church, subject to any legal or safeguarding requirements.

We use technical and organisational measures to keep your data safe, including:

  • Encrypted connections (HTTPS)
  • Secure servers
  • Access controls
  • Regular monitoring and security updates

How we use your information

We use your data to:

  • Provide and maintain our website and services
  • Improve user experience and website functionality
  • Send updates, newsletters or marketing (only if you opt in)
  • Analyse website performance and usage
  • Meet legal or regulatory obligations

We only process your data where we have a lawful basis such as your consent, contract, legitimate interests, or legal requirement.

4. Comments (Website)

If you leave comments on our website, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as your IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata may be retained indefinitely. This helps us recognise and approve follow‑up comments automatically rather than holding them in a moderation queue.

5. Media

If you upload images to the website, please avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract location data from images published on the site.

6. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your experience.

  • If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience and last for one year.
  • If you visit our login page, a temporary cookie is set to check whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
  • When you log in, cookies are set to save your login information and screen display preferences. Login cookies last for two days; screen option cookies last for one year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks.
  • If you log out, login cookies are removed.
  • If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie contains no personal data and expires after one day.

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings.

7. Embedded Content from Other Websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles).

Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if you visited the other website directly. These websites may:

  • Collect data about you
  • Use cookies
  • Embed additional third‑party tracking
  • Monitor your interaction with embedded content, especially if you have an account and are logged in to that platform

8. Who We Share Your Data With

Beacon Church does not sell or share your personal data with third parties without your consent.

If you request a password reset (where applicable), your IP address may be included in the reset email for security purposes.

We may use trusted third‑party service providers (such as ChurchSuite or website hosting providers) solely to operate church systems securely and effectively.

9. How Long We Retain Your Data

  • Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary for church purposes or legal obligations.
  • Registered website users (if any) can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except usernames).
  • Website administrators can also view and edit this information.

After that, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.

10. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Request deletion of your personal data (where legally possible)
  • Withdraw consent for data processing at any time
  • Request a copy of your data in a portable format

Requests can be made by contacting us at info@beaconchurchuk.org or by writing to Beacon Church at the address above.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, please contact us first.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
Website:
https://www.ico.org.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1625 545745

12. Social Media

Beacon Church maintains official social media accounts to share information about our events, programmes, and activities:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

We cannot accept responsibility for the content, opinions, or data practices of external websites or social media platforms that reference or tag Beacon Church.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is used, please contact:

Email: info@beaconchurchuk.org

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally.The updated version will always be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date.