Introduction
At First United Methodist Church, Mays Landing, NJ, we respect the privacy of the individual. We are committed to protecting the privacy of the members of our church and the users of our website. The editors of this website strive to balance the privacy of individuals with the desire to provide Christian witness in fulfillment of our mission of disciple-making. We have developed this statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy, and to provide you with details about privacy issues related to use of this website.
Some Quick Definitions
- We/Us - First United Methodist Church, Mays Landing, New Jersey.
- You - Any person browsing or otherwise interacting with us via our website.
- Personal Data - Any information that identifies you personally. Examples include your name, birth date, email address, mailing address, and phone number.
Website Purpose
The purpose of this website is to support our church's mission by:
- Informing visitors and potential new members about our church.
- Building fellowship among our church family by providing a medium of communication.
- Encouraging everyone toward a deeper relationship with God by spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Information Gathered from Website Visitors and How We Use It
Computer Information
Our web hosting service automatically gathers information revealed by your browser. The specific information collected is not directly under our control, and may include your: IP (Internet) address, operating system, type of web browser, time of visit, and method of reaching the site (for example, referring URL). Our web hosting service provides us access to the collected data in both raw and processed forms.
This information is gathered in the aggregate for statistical purposes. It may be used to analyze trends in site usage for the purpose of website administration and enhancements, or improvements to our church's overall ministry. It may also be used to dynamically custom-tailor the content and/or layout of our website for a user.
None of this information is used to reveal the identity of website visitors.
Personal Data
The only personal data we collect via this website is information you knowingly provide to us. If you contact us via email or use any of the forms on our site, you may voluntarily provide us with your name, email address, or other personal information.
We use every reasonable precaution to keep this information private. We do not share or divulge this information to any third parties beyond our church, unless legally bound to do so.
The information you give us will be used solely for the intent expressed at the time it was provided. We will not add you to a mailing or phone list, or include you in a bulk communication without your consent.
What We Will (or Will Not) Publish
Unless we have prior consent, we will not publish any personal data. With few exceptions, we do not have any desire to publish such information at all. Care will be exercised in the publication of details for events focusing on children and young people. Content of our site will at all times be family-friendly and appropriate for persons of any age, especially minors.
The website editors recognize that any information published on our site is representative of our church family. As such, all our members and friends are encouraged to review our website, and to provide us with feedback regarding website format and contents.
Historical Information
Our church has a rich history that we desire to share. A church is its people and, therefore, our church's history often contains information of a personal nature. In order to harmoniously balance our desire to share our history along with our desire to respect the privacy of others, we will publish historical information only when we feel a respectable amount time has passed, or when the information is readily available public knowledge.
Photographs
We believe that photographs of our church family are a valuable part of creating an attractive, accurate, and relevant on-line representation of our church. Photographs enhance our website by adding a personal 'face' to our web ministry.
In the course of designing and writing our website, photographs may be used in moderation to embellish our site presentation. These shots may be candid or posed, and may be of groups or individuals. Whenever possible, the photographs we use will be limited to shots not designed to unduly single out any individual. Captions may be used to describe the basic activity associated with the photos. We will not publish any photograph that we feel would present an individual in a negative light.
While it might seem preferable to seek out express permission from the subject(s) for publication, this is often not practical or even possible. Therefore, we do not intend to implement such a practice. Any person may explicitly request that their identifiable likeness be kept from (or removed from) publication by contacting the webmaster or Pastor. We will not publish a person's name in association with their photograph without their consent.
Cookies
A cookie is a piece of information that a webserver can associate with your web browser, often without you knowing it. This information is stored on your computer. Most popular browsers will allow you to disable or restrict the use of cookies. However, if you do that it may stop your browser from working properly on websites that use cookies.
Our graphical calendar and our gallery pages use cookies to enhance browsing. We do not retain any data from these cookies. The remainder of our website does not use cookies.
External Linked Websites
Our website contains links to external websites, some of which are in no way affiliated us. We are not responsible for the privacy policies of external sites, and such policies may differ from those of our own. We encourage everyone to be aware of what site they are visiting, and to read the privacy statements of those sites.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
This privacy policy is a living document. As computer technology and our website evolve, we may find the need to amend this policy. We will exercise due diligence in posting any changes here well in advance of when the change will be in effect. Notification of changes to this page will posted on our What's New page. You are encouraged to review this page occasionally to stay currently informed.
Consent of Website Visitors
By using our website, you are giving us permission to use information gathered about you in accordance with this policy.
Further Information
If you have a concern about our website's privacy policy, please contact our webmaster or pastor. Ways to contact us can be found on our contact page.
