PRIVACY POLICY

Griffin First Assembly: an Encounter Life Church

As modified on November 16, 2020.

At Griffin First Assembly of God, Inc. (the “Ministry”), we are committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors. While we use the information you provide to better serve you, we also recognize that this information belongs to you, and we are committed to protecting it by our adherence to this policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to all of our websites, including but not limited to: www.griffinfirst.org, www.freshtouch.org, www.valorleadership.org,  and www.griffinchristian.org (collectively our “Sites”).

Our Privacy Policy applies to the information we collect from you from the following sources:
  • On the Sites.
  • In text, E-mail, and other electronic messages between you and the Ministry.
  • Offline or through any other means, including any social media pages we manage, telephone, other websites we operate, and mail, and including our affiliates and subsidiaries, or any third party.
  • Through our mobile applications (the “Application”).
BY VISITING THE SITES, YOU ARE ACCEPTING, WITHOUT MODIFICATION, THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ANY PORTION OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY, THEN EXIT THE SITES IMMEDIATELY. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE, MODIFY, ADD, OR DELETE THE TERMS OF OUR PRIVACY POLICY FROM TIME TO TIME WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE. YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THE SITES FOLLOWING THE POSTING OF CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY MEAN YOU AGREE TO THE NEW TERMS. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post the changes on this page and will indicate at the top of the page the date these terms were last revised. If we intend to apply the modifications or amendments to this Privacy Policy retroactively, we will provide you with notice of the modifications or amendments.

Information We Collect
We collect both personal and technical information from and about users of our Sites and Application, as follows:
  • Personally identifiable information. Personally identifiable information includes information such as name, telephone number, E-mail address, home address, and any other information collected by the Sites that is defined by applicable law as personal or personally identifiable information, and any other information by which may be used to contact you.
  • Information about how you use our Sites.
  • Behavioral tracking information.
  • Aggregate information about the type of equipment used to access our Sites, details about your internet connection, and usage details while accessing and using our Sites.

Information is collected from you both automatically and voluntarily:
  • You voluntarily provide information to us through various methods, including but not limited to: filling out forms (i.e. visitor registration cards, event and/or Ministry activity registrations, etc.), E-mail, the Sites or Application, or by any other means whereby you voluntarily provide the information to the Ministry, our affiliates, subsidiaries, or any third party.
  • Information is collected automatically as you navigate through and interact with our Sites or Application. Information such as IP address, the type of computer or mobile operating system (e.g. Windows or Mac) and browser (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer, or mobile internet browser) used to access the Site or Application, mobile carrier, and other similar information collected through cookies and other tracking technologies. NOTE: this information is considered statistical data and does not include personally identifiable information; however, we may tie this information to personal information we collect about you from other sources or that you otherwise provide to us via voluntary means. The technologies used to automatically collect data may include cookies and similar online technologies defined below.
  • Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on your device that enables Sites features and functionality. For example, Cookies enable us to identify your device and record the Web pages you have visited. Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. Unless you have adjusted your browser settings to opt-out of receiving cookies, our system will issue cookies when you visit our Sites.
  • Locally Stored Objects (sometimes referred to as “Flash cookies”). Adobe Flash Player and similar applications use locally stored objects in order to provide certain content, such as video on demand, video clips, or animation. Certain features of our Sites may use flash cookies to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Sites. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as those for browser cookies. You can restrict or block Flash cookies through the Adobe website. If you restrict or block Flash cookies, there may be some features of our Sites that you are not able to use.
  • Web Beacons. Web Beacons are small electronic files embedded in a web page or E-mail that allows for tracking whether a user has accessed the content. These files may be embedded on pages on our Sites to allow us to collect Sites statistics, such as the number of views a particular page has received, identify the most and least popular content on the Sites, and collect other related Site data.

Third-party Tracking
We do utilize third parties, from time to time, to provide some of the content and/or applications on the Sites. Third parties may include, but are not limited to, content and application providers and ministry affiliates. These third parties may use tracking technologies to collect information when you use our Sites. We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how the information collected may be used.
Additionally, our Sites may contain links to third-party websites, and third-party websites may also have links to our Sites. Operators of other websites may collect your personal information. Please note that our Privacy Policy does not apply to external links or other websites. We are not responsible for the practices of these third parties, and we recommend that you read the Privacy Policy of any website you link to from our Sites.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
We are strongly committed to protecting the safety of children. As such, it is the policy of this Ministry that no one under age 13 may provide any personal information to or on the Sites, and we do not solicit and/or knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable written consent from the parent(s) or guardian. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. Please contact privacy@griffinfirst.org with any concerns.

How Do We Use Your Information?
All information the Ministry collects and you provide to us is used to extend our Ministry. We do not sell, lease, or distribute any information to any commercial entities. The Ministry may offer services such as event invitations and notifications. Keep in mind that any postings on chat rooms, blogs, or other postings may be considered public. After you register, we may use the E-mail address and zip codes of all users who subscribe to any of our newsletters or other regular correspondence. Except to our third-party agents (as described below), this information is not shared with any third parties. Anyone who no longer wishes to receive this newsletter or other regular correspondence can, at any time, follow the “Unsubscribe” instructions located within each newsletter.

We use information we collect from you or that you provide to us, including any personal information, to:
  • Contact you via mail, telephone, E-mail, or text message.
  • Present our Sites and its contents to you.
  • Provide you with information, products, or services you request from us and notices about your account.
  • Fulfill any other purpose for which you provide your information, in any other way we may describe when you provide it, and for any other purposes with your consent.
  • Notify you about changes to our Sites or any products and services we offer or provide through it.
  • Allow you to participate in interactive features on our Sites, and other ministry E-mail and mail outreach.
  • Contact you about our own and third-parties’ ministry-related goods, services, and events that may be of interest to you.

Media Use Policy
Sharing photos and videos of parishioners and events at Griffin First Assembly is a privilege for us and we intend to respect and honor it.
In this digital age, the church takes many pictures of baptisms, choir performances, concerts, worship services, mission trips, special presentations, Sunday school, fellowship activities and community outreach projects. We use these pictures to record, to promote, and to celebrate our church ministries. Pictures are used on bulletin boards, in slide shows and PowerPoint presentations, in printed publications, and on our church website and social media.
  • Printed publications include church newsletters, brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, etc.
  • Online sharing includes, but is not limited to, website, Facebook page and groups, Twitter, Google+ page and YouTube channel.
  • Photos and videos are almost always of people in public spaces, and/or at public events.
  • We will not knowingly post anything that would be embarrassing, objectionable or hurtful to anyone in a photo or video.
  • We do not identify children or youth by name in the photos and videos we use in our online and printed publications.
  • To ensure the privacy of children and adults, the use of full names or personal identifying information requires verbal approval for adults and written approval for children from the parent or legal guardian.
  • If copyright for a photo or video is held by someone other than Griffin First Assembly, we will receive permission to post it and gladly provide credit if desired by the photographer. We will gladly remove any photo or video upon request from our online sites. If you see a photo that includes you or your child and would like it removed from the site, please call 770-228-2307 or notify the site administrator at info@griffinfirst.org with the details.

Media Opt-Out Form
Some persons may choose not to have their photos, or photos of their children, used and we respect their wishes. Therefore, we are providing a Media Opt-Out form for individuals or families who prefer NOT to have photographs of themselves used by the church. If you have no objection to the use of your photos, you do not need to sign or return this form.
Copies of this form are available in the church office or by clicking the following link:
GFA Media Opt-Out Form

Permissions for Use of Our Media and Content
We ask for your respect in return. Unless otherwise indicated, photographs and videos are the property of and are copyrighted by Griffin First Assembly and may not be used for any purpose (including but not limited to: downloading, printing, distributing, linking) without permission from Griffin First Assembly.  Requests for permission to use our material should be emailed to info@griffinfirst.org.
We grant permission for limited sharing of our media and content. You may share YouTube videos, website articles and Facebook stories on social media. You may link to our posted content but may not download and share content on a personal web page without permission.
Please call 770-228-2307 or write us at 2000 W McIntosh Road Griffin, GA 30223 if you have any questions or concerns about our Media Use Policy. You can also send an email to info@griffinfirst.org.

Use of Anonymous Information
We use Anonymous Information to help us determine how people use parts of the Sites and who our readers are, so we can improve our Sites and ensure it is as appealing as we can make it for as many people as possible. We also use Anonymous Information to provide statistical “ratings” information in aggregated form to our partners and other third parties about how our users collectively use the Sites. We may also use or share Anonymous Information (or other information, other than Personal Information) in any other manner that we deem appropriate or necessary.
We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.
  • To our subsidiaries and affiliates.
  • To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our ministry.
  • To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it.
  • For any other purpose with your consent or disclosed by us when you provide the information.
  • To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including responding to any government or regulatory request.
  • To enforce or apply our Terms of Use.
  • If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of Griffin First, our members, or others.

Your Choices About Our Use and Disclosure of Your information
If you do not want your information used or shared in accordance with this notice, you may:
  • Choose not to provide your information. Please note that choosing not to provide your information may prevent you from taking advantage of some of our Sites’ features.
  • Opt-out of all information collecting by the Application by easily uninstalling the Application.
If you do not want to receive E-mail from the Ministry, you may:
  • Remove yourself from the list that caused you to receive the E-mail by clicking the “unsubscribe” or “take me off your mailing list” link at the bottom of the E-mail. Please note this will not remove you from other lists to which you subscribed or stop warranted E-mails from other transactions or interactions.
If you do not want to receive mail from the Ministry, you may:
  • E-mail privacy@griffinfirst.org and request to be removed from our mailing list.

Deleting Information You Post
If you delete your User Submissions from the Sites, chat rooms, blogs, or other online portals, copies of your User Submissions may remain viewable in cached and archived pages, or may have been copied or stored by other site users. Proper access and use of information provided on the site, including postings, is governed by our Terms of Use.

Data Security
We have implemented measures to help secure personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration and disclosure. All information provided by you to us is stored on our secure servers behind firewalls. Any payment transactions are encrypted during the transaction.
The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given or you have chosen a password for access to certain parts of our Sites or Application, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. Be careful about giving out information in public areas of the Sites. The information you share in public areas may be viewed by any user of the Sites.
While we try our best to safeguard your Personal Information once we receive it, you understand and agree that no transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. Please remember that any information you share in public areas, such as message boards or feedback sections, becomes public, and therefore this Privacy Policy does not apply to any information you choose to make public. Use common sense about what you disclose and do not post any Personal Information that you expect to keep private.

Additional Information for Mobile Users
Our Application does not pull contact information, friends’ lists, contacts’ lists, or check-ins.
Our Application does collect precise information about the location of your mobile device if you allow the Application to gather such information. We use your location information to provide location services when you have requested such services.

Governing Law
This policy shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Georgia, excluding its laws relating to conflicts of law. U.S. law shall govern in any and all disputes, including privacy or defamation issues or otherwise. Any actions pertaining to this Privacy Policy or website usage shall be venued in Spalding County, GA.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy at any time. We will notify you of material changes to our privacy practices by placing an updated Privacy Policy on the Sites or in some circumstances, we may notify you through other means, at our sole discretion. Your continued use of the Sites and Application after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates. The date the Privacy Policy was last revised is noted at the top of the page.

Contact Information
To ask questions or comment about this Privacy Policy and our privacy practices, contact us via e-mail at privacy@griffinfirst.org or via mail:
 
Griffin First Assembly of God, Inc.
Attn: Business Administration – Privacy
2000 West McIntosh Road
Griffin, GA 30223