Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Great Light Church Ltd ("GLC", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who visits our website, attends our services, uses our app, or engages with us in any capacity. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable UK legislation.

By using our website (glclondon.church), our mobile app (GLC London), or by providing us with your personal information in any context, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Name, email address, and phone number when you register for an event, fill in a contact form, sign up for a community, or pre-register to visit
• Payment information when you give via bank transfer or PayPal (we do not store card details)
• Prayer requests, pastoral enquiries, or other personal communications sent to our team
• Children's names and ages when you register them for Surge

Information collected automatically:

• IP address, browser type, and device information when you visit our website
• Pages visited, time spent on site, and referral sources via analytics tools
• App usage data collected by our mobile app provider (Subsplash)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your enquiries and provide pastoral care
• Process event registrations and community sign-ups
• Send you information about services, events, and church news (with your consent)
• Process giving transactions and maintain financial records as required by law
• Ensure the safety of children attending Surge sessions
• Improve our website, app, and communications
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as a registered charity/company

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent, where you have explicitly agreed (e.g. signing up to our mailing list)
• Contract, where processing is necessary to fulfil a service you've requested
• Legitimate interests, where we have a genuine organisational need that doesn't override your rights
• Legal obligation, where we are required by law to retain or process certain data

5. How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your data is stored securely using industry-standard encryption and access controls. We use reputable third-party platforms (including Subsplash for media and giving, and PayPal for donations) that maintain their own robust data protection policies and comply with applicable data protection law.

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law. Financial records are retained for a minimum of 7 years in accordance with HMRC requirements.

6. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information with third parties. We may share your information with:

• Trusted service providers who help us operate our services (e.g. Subsplash, PayPal), bound by data processing agreements
• Statutory authorities where required by law (e.g. safeguarding obligations, HMRC)
• Other churches or organisations only with your explicit consent

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access, to request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Right to rectification, to ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure, to request that we delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing, to ask us to limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability, to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object, to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
• Right to withdraw consent, at any time, where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@glclondon.church. We will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. These include essential cookies required for the site to function, and analytics cookies that help us understand how the site is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect your experience of the website.

9. Children's Privacy

We take the privacy and safety of children very seriously. We only collect children's personal information (name, age, medical notes where relevant) for the purpose of operating Surge, our children's ministry. This information is kept securely, shared only with authorised team members, and never used for marketing. Parental or guardian consent is required for all children registered with Surge.

10. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g. YouTube, Subsplash, PayPal). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Terms of Use

By using this website and its content, you agree to use it only for lawful purposes and in a way that does not infringe the rights of others. All content on this website, including text, images, videos, and media, is the property of Great Light Church Ltd and may not be reproduced without permission.

GLC reserves the right to update or modify this website at any time without notice. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of this website or its content.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

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

Great Light Church Ltd
57 Skylines Business Village, London, E14 9TS
Email: info@glclondon.church
Phone: +44 (0) 207 001 770