Saint Peter’s Privacy Policy
At Saint Peter’s, trust is part of how we love one another. When you visit our website, give online, sign up for our newsletter, register for an event, or ask for prayer, you share information with us. We want to be clear about what we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it. This policy explains that in plain language. In short, it covers what we collect and how we use and share it, the choices you have, how we keep your information safe, and how you can see or correct what we hold.
Information you share with us
You may give us personal information directly, such as:
Your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number — when you contact us, subscribe to our newsletter, or fill out a form, or complete a physical newcomer card or paper pledge during worship..
Payment and giving details — when you make a gift or pay for an event. These are handled by our giving provider; we do not store full card or bank numbers ourselves.
Registration details — when you sign up for a program, class, or event, including information you provide about your family.
Information shared through prayer requests
When you ask us for prayer, you are trusting us with something personal, and we take that seriously. How we handle your request is up to you.
If you tell us that we may share your request with parishioners, your request may be shared so that others may pray with you. These may be read aloud during a service (that may be livestreamed), included in our worship bulletin available in-print and online or newsletter, or passed to our prayer team.
If you do not authorize us to share your prayer request, it will remain private.
When you reach out for confidential pastoral care from our clergy, we keep what you share among the clergy and staff directly involved in caring for you.
You can also ask us at any time to stop including your request, or to remove your name from a prayer list.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, ours collects some information automatically when you visit — such as your device type, browser, approximate location, and how you move through the site. This is gathered through cookies and similar tools (see “Cookies and analytics” below) and helps us keep the site working and understand what is helpful to visitors. This may include your IP address, browser type, the times you visit, and the website that referred you. On its own, this information does not identify you by name; we look at it alongside other visitors’ information to understand patterns.
Why we collect your information
We collect and use your information when you have given us permission, when we need it to provide something you have asked for, and when the law requires it — including responding to a lawful request from a government body, a court, or law enforcement.
How we use your information
We use the information you share to:
Respond to you, and stay in touch through the newsletter and other communications you have asked for.
Process gifts and registrations, and manage events and programs.
Respond to prayer requests and offer pastoral care.
Understand how the website is used so we can make it clearer and more welcoming.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for anyone else’s marketing.
Service providers we work with
We use trusted third-party services to run our website and ministries. They handle some of your information on our behalf, under their own privacy policies:
Squarespace — hosts our website and processes form submissions. (Privacy policy)
Pushpay / Church Community Builder (CCB) — handles online giving, registration, RSVPs, and our membership records. (Privacy policy)
Mailchimp — manages our email newsletter and its signups. (Privacy policy)
Google Analytics — helps us measure website traffic. (Privacy policy)
We share information with these providers only as needed to provide these services.
Cookies and analytics
Our website uses cookies — small files stored by your browser — to keep the site working and to help us understand how visitors use it, through Squarespace and Google Analytics. You can control or disable cookies in your browser settings; some features may not work as well if you do. We use Google Analytics only to understand how the site is used, never to identify you. The information it gathers is anonymous, and we do not connect it to your name or to anything else we hold about you.
Your email choices
Every newsletter and email we send includes an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time. You may also contact us to update how we reach you.
Children’s privacy
We care deeply about children. Our website is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. Information about children — such as registrations for children’s and youth programs, or permission to use a child’s photo — is provided by their parents or guardians. Our practices regarding media captured during church events are detailed in our separate Social Media Policy. If you believe a child has given us information without a parent’s involvement, please contact us and we will remove it.
How we protect your information
We take reasonable steps to keep your information safe and limit access to those who need it for ministry. No website or online service can be completely secure, but we work to protect what you share with us. Sensitive information you send through the site is encrypted while it travels to us, and the records we keep are held securely and seen only by clergy and staff who need them for ministry.
How long we keep your information
We keep your information only as long as we need it to care for you, to provide what you have asked for, and to meet our legal and financial obligations. When it is no longer needed, we take steps to remove it.
Links to other websites
Our site links to other places — our giving provider, our calendar, social media, and partner ministries. Those sites have their own privacy practices, and this policy does not cover them. We encourage you to read theirs.
Your choices
You may ask us to review, correct, or remove the personal information we hold about you. Contact us using the information below and we will do our best to help. You may also ask us to erase your information, and we will do so unless we are required to keep it to meet a legal or financial obligation.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the effective date above and post the current version here.
Contact us
If you have questions about this policy or your information, please reach out.: If you ever feel we are not honoring this policy, please tell us right away using the contact information below, and we will make it right.
Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church
4250 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22207
703-536-6606
info@saint-peters.org
As a church with non-profit status, Saint Peter’s is exempt from the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). As a parish of The Episcopal Church, we intend this policy to be consistent with the privacy practices of the wider Episcopal Church. Where this policy and national church guidelines conflict, the policy of The Episcopal Church governs.