Hub Privacy Policy
Eltham Green Community Church (EGCC) Hub System
Last Updated: January 12, 2025
Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, stored, used, and protected within the Hub, Eltham Green Community Church's church management system. This policy applies to all data stored in the Hub and is intended for Hub administrators, church members, and anyone whose information is stored in the system.
Who We Are
Eltham Green Community Church
542 Westhorne Avenue
Eltham, London
SE9 6DH
United Kingdom
Contact:
Email: enquiries@egcc.co.uk
Phone: 020 8850 1331
Why We Store Your Information
We store personal information in the Hub to support the church's mission and operations. Here are the specific purposes for which we collect and store data:
Contact Management and Communication
Why we store this: To maintain accurate contact information so we can communicate with church members, visitors, and volunteers about church activities, events, and important updates.
What this enables:
- Sending newsletters and church communications
- Coordinating events and activities
- Facilitating pastoral care and support
- Managing contact lists for different groups and ministries
Membership Administration
Why we store this: To maintain accurate membership records and understand the church community, enabling us to provide appropriate pastoral care and support.
What this enables:
- Tracking membership status and church involvement
- Understanding when people joined the church
- Managing membership records and statistics
- Facilitating membership processes
Member Information and Faith Journey
Why we store this: To support members in their faith journey, facilitate appropriate pastoral care, coordinate serving opportunities, and help members connect with the church community.
What this enables:
- Understanding members' faith journey and spiritual needs
- Coordinating serving opportunities and ministry involvement
- Facilitating community group connections
- Planning pastoral care and support
- Scheduling meetings with church leadership
Event and Volunteer Coordination
Why we store this: To organise church events, manage volunteer rotas, and coordinate participation in church activities.
What this enables:
- Planning and organising church events and activities
- Managing event signups and attendance
- Creating and managing volunteer rotas for services and events
- Sending event invitations and reminders
- Coordinating volunteers for church services
Meeting Planning
Why we store this: To plan church services, coordinate speakers and worship teams, and maintain service planning information.
What this enables:
- Planning church services and meetings
- Coordinating speakers, worship leaders, and service participants
- Maintaining service planning notes and information
- Managing meeting-related rotas
Form Submissions and Safeguarding
Why we store this: To process inquiries, manage membership applications, and handle safeguarding concerns in a secure and confidential manner.
What this enables:
- Processing general inquiries and requests
- Managing membership applications
- Handling safeguarding concerns and reports (with special encryption)
- Collecting information through dynamic forms
Newsletter and Communication Preferences
Why we store this: To respect your communication preferences and track the effectiveness of church communications.
What this enables:
- Managing newsletter subscriptions
- Tracking communication preferences
- Measuring engagement with church communications
Admin User Accounts and Security
Why we store this: To manage Hub access securely, maintain accountability, and protect the system and data.
What this enables:
- Secure authentication and access control
- Audit trails for accountability and security
- System administration and management
Audit Logging Information
Why we store this: To maintain security, accountability, and compliance with data protection requirements.
What we collect:
- IP addresses of Hub administrators when they access the system or perform actions
- User agent information (browser and device type) for security monitoring
- Timestamps of all system access and data changes
- Details of actions performed in the Hub
What this enables:
- Security monitoring and fraud prevention
- Accountability for data access and changes
- Investigation of security incidents
- Compliance with data protection regulations
Who Has Access to Your Information
Access to personal information in the Hub is strictly controlled based on role-based permissions. Here's who can access what:
Super Admin
Who: Lead Pastor (john.watson@egcc.co.uk)
Access: Full access to all data and system functions
Why they need access: To oversee all church operations, manage the Hub system, and ensure proper administration of church activities.
What they can do: View, edit, and delete all records; manage admin users; access all areas including safeguarding forms; configure system settings.
Administrators with Full Access
Who: Designated church leaders and senior administrators
Access: Contacts, lists, members, rotas, events, meeting planners, newsletters, and forms
Why they need access: To manage church operations, coordinate activities, and communicate with the church community.
What they can do: Manage contacts and members, create rotas, plan events, send newsletters, view form submissions, coordinate ministries.
Administrators with Limited Access
Who: Ministry leaders and coordinators
Access: Specific areas based on their role (e.g., rotas only, events only, contacts only)
Why they need access: To fulfill their specific ministry responsibilities without accessing unnecessary information.
What they can do: Access only the areas they need for their specific ministry responsibilities (e.g., rota coordinators can manage rotas but not access newsletters).
Safeguarding Officers
Who: Designated safeguarding officers
Access: Special access to safeguarding forms and encrypted data
Why they need access: To handle safeguarding concerns confidentially and in accordance with legal requirements.
What they can do: View and manage safeguarding form submissions (encrypted data); cannot access other sensitive information unless specifically authorised.
General Administrators
Who: General church administrators
Access: Contacts, lists, rotas, events, and meeting planners
Why they need access: To support general church administration and coordination.
What they cannot access: Newsletters, forms, safeguarding data, or member detailed information.
Public Access (Token-Based)
Who: Church members and volunteers
Access: Limited access via secure tokens for specific purposes
Why they need access: To sign up for rotas and events without requiring Hub accounts.
What they can do: Sign up for rotas and events using unique, time-limited tokens.
What they cannot do: View other people's information, access the Hub directly, or see any data beyond what's necessary for their signup.
How Your Information Is Used
Personal information in the Hub is used exclusively for church operations and ministry purposes:
Church Administration
- Maintaining accurate membership and contact records
- Organising and managing the church contact database
- Facilitating church community connections
- Coordinating serving opportunities and volunteer assignments
Event Management
- Planning and organising church events and activities
- Managing event registrations and attendance
- Maintaining church calendar and event schedules
- Displaying public events on the church website
Volunteer Coordination
- Creating and managing volunteer rotas for services and events
- Assigning volunteers to specific roles and dates
- Sending automated reminders to volunteers
- Sending invitations to volunteers for rota signups
Communication
- Creating and sending church newsletters and updates
- Inviting people to events and activities
- Reminding volunteers of their upcoming commitments
- Facilitating pastoral care and support communications
Meeting Planning
- Planning church services and meetings
- Coordinating speakers and topics
- Planning worship and music for services
- Maintaining notes and planning information
Form Management
- Collecting and managing form submissions
- Processing safeguarding concerns and reports (encrypted)
- Processing membership applications
- Managing general inquiries and requests
Member Support
- Understanding members' faith journey and spiritual needs
- Coordinating serving opportunities based on interests and availability
- Facilitating community group connections
- Planning pastoral care and support
- Scheduling meetings with church leadership
Reporting and Analytics
- Tracking event attendance and participation
- Reporting on volunteer participation and rotas
- Generating membership and growth statistics
- Tracking newsletter engagement
Data Sharing Within the Church
Personal information may be shared within the church in the following ways:
Contact Lists
- Contact information may be included in lists for specific groups (e.g., small groups, ministry teams)
- Lists are used for targeted communication and coordination
- List membership is managed by authorised administrators
Rota Information
- Names and contact information may be visible to other volunteers on the same rota
- This enables coordination and communication between volunteers
- Rota information is shared only with those who need it for coordination
Ministry Teams
- Contact information may be shared within ministry teams for coordination purposes
- Team leaders may have access to team member contact information
- Information is shared only for legitimate ministry purposes
Church Directory
- Contact information may be included in internal church directories (with consent)
- Directories are used to facilitate church community connections
- You can opt out of being included in directories by contacting the church office
Data Security
We take data security seriously and have implemented multiple security measures:
Access Controls
- Role-based permissions: Access is restricted based on user roles and permissions
- Authentication required: All Hub access requires secure login credentials
- Password security: Strong password requirements and secure password hashing (bcrypt)
- Session management: Secure session management with automatic expiration
- Account lockout: Accounts are locked after multiple failed login attempts
Encryption
- Safeguarding data: Safeguarding form submissions are encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption
- Data transmission: All data transmission uses HTTPS encryption
- Password storage: Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text
Audit Logging
- Access logs: All system access is logged for security and accountability
- Change logs: All data changes are logged with timestamps and user information
- Audit trails: Complete audit trails are maintained for sensitive operations
- IP addresses: IP addresses of Hub administrators are recorded when they access the system or perform actions for security and accountability purposes
- User agent information: Browser and device information is logged to help identify and prevent unauthorised access
Data Storage
- Secure storage: Data is stored securely on Railway hosting platform
- Backup procedures: Regular backups are maintained for data recovery
- Access restrictions: Data files are accessible only to authorised administrators
Input Validation
- Input sanitization: All user input is sanitized to prevent security vulnerabilities
- CSRF protection: Forms are protected against cross-site request forgery attacks
- HTML sanitization: HTML content is sanitized to prevent XSS attacks
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
Right to Access
You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you in the Hub by contacting enquiries@egcc.co.uk.
Right to Rectification
You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information about you.
Right to Erasure
You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal and safeguarding obligations that may require us to retain certain records.
Right to Restrict Processing
You can request that we limit how we use your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability
You can request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to Object
You can object to certain types of processing, such as inclusion in church directories or certain communications.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Where we process your data based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact enquiries@egcc.co.uk. We will respond to your request within one month.
Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy:
- Active members: Data is retained while you are an active member or regular attender
- Former members: Basic contact information may be retained for historical records and reconnection purposes
- Safeguarding records: Retained in accordance with legal requirements and safeguarding policies
- Audit logs: Retained for security and accountability purposes (including IP addresses and user agent information)
- Event records: Retained for historical records and planning purposes
- Rota records: Retained for historical records and volunteer coordination
Safeguarding Data
Safeguarding form submissions receive special protection:
- Encryption: All safeguarding data is encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption
- Access restrictions: Only designated safeguarding officers can access safeguarding data
- Audit logging: All access to safeguarding data is logged
- Legal compliance: Data is retained in accordance with legal requirements
- Confidentiality: Safeguarding information is never shared except as required by law or safeguarding policies
Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may process your data:
Resend (Email Service)
- Purpose: Sending newsletters and transactional emails
- Data shared: Email addresses and names only
- Privacy Policy: https://resend.com/privacy
Railway (Hosting Provider)
- Purpose: Hosting the Hub system and data storage
- Data stored: All Hub data files
- Privacy Policy: https://railway.app/privacy
Cloudinary (Image Storage)
- Purpose: Storing and serving images uploaded to the Hub
- Data stored: Images uploaded to the system
- Privacy Policy: https://cloudinary.com/privacy
All service providers are required to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top indicates when changes were made. Significant changes will be communicated to Hub administrators and, where appropriate, to church members.
Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise your rights regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:
Eltham Green Community Church
542 Westhorne Avenue
Eltham, London
SE9 6DH
United Kingdom
Email: enquiries@egcc.co.uk
Phone: 020 8850 1331
Complaints
If you are not satisfied with how we handle your personal information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Phone: 0303 123 1113
For Hub Administrators
Your Responsibilities
As a Hub administrator, you have a responsibility to:
- Protect data: Keep login credentials secure and never share your account
- Use data appropriately: Only access and use data for legitimate church purposes
- Respect privacy: Respect the privacy of church members and their information
- Report concerns: Report any security concerns or data breaches immediately
- Follow policies: Follow church policies and procedures for data handling
Access Logging
All your actions in the Hub are logged for security and accountability:
- Access logs: Records of when you access the Hub
- Action logs: Records of data changes you make
- Audit trails: Complete audit trails for sensitive operations
Permission Levels
Your access to Hub areas is based on your assigned permissions:
- Check your permissions: View your permissions in your profile page
- Request access: Contact the Super Admin to request additional permissions if needed
- Understand restrictions: Be aware of what data you can and cannot access
Safeguarding Data
If you have access to safeguarding forms:
- Confidentiality: Maintain strict confidentiality of safeguarding information
- Legal compliance: Follow legal requirements for handling safeguarding data
- Reporting: Report safeguarding concerns through proper channels
- Access logging: Be aware that all access to safeguarding data is logged
This Privacy Policy is effective as of the date listed above and applies to all personal information stored in the Hub system.