SJE'S PRIVACY POLICY
SJE's Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us at St. John's Episcopal Church (SJE). To better protect your privacy, we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.
The Information We Collect
This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on SJE's website, email marketing, and social media pages. On some pages, you can order products, make requests, and register to receive materials. The types of personal information collected at these pages are your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, credit/debit card information, and more.
When you interact with our services (for example, open a newsletter email sent through our vendor, Mailchimp), Mailchimp automatically collects user-based recipient behavior, including analysis of opening and clicking behavior. Mailchimp may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect some of this information. These analytics help us to observe which content is effective and interesting to our members and ensure our engagement with you is worthwhile. These analytics are never shared with any organization or entity outside of SJE.
On some pages, you can submit information about other people. For example, if you want us to reach out to someone or give someone something from our church's ministry, you will need to submit the recipient's address. In this circumstance, the types of personal information collected are name, address, phone number, and more.
The Way We Use Information
We use the information you provide about yourself when filling out a form or placing an order only to complete that request. We do not share this information with parties outside the SJE Clergy, Staff, and volunteer leaders, except to the extent necessary to complete that order or fill a request.
We use the information you provide about someone else when placing an order only for the direct purpose you gave us their information. We do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to complete that order.
Our E-Mail Policy
If SJE has your e-mail address on file, you may occasionally receive e-mails with special information that might interest you. We hope you enjoy receiving these e-mails. If you would prefer not to receive any e-mail of this nature from us, users may opt out with a single click from within the newsletter e-mail.
Our Mailing Policy
If you supply us with your postal address online, you may receive periodic mailings from us with information about the ministries and services we offer. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please let us know by sending an e-mail to pkurdziel@sjegh.com. Please specify in your correspondence that you do not wish to receive mailings from SJE.
Our Telephone Policy
You will only receive telephone contact from us with information or questions regarding requests you have made or correspondence you have elicited. Telephone numbers and other personal information will never be sold, or shared with outside parties for marketing purposes.
Our Texting Policy
If you opt in to receive text messages from St. John’s Episcopal Church, we will use your mobile number only to send the types of messages you agreed to receive, such as worship times, events, ministry and volunteer reminders, closures, pastoral care, and occasional invitations to give. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. You can text HELP for help or STOP to unsubscribe at any time. To opt out, text STOP to the number that is messaging you: 616-841-9873, 616-842-6260, or 616-842-6261. To stop all texts from St. John’s, call the parish office at 616-842-6260.
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging opt-in data and consent are excluded from all other information-sharing described in this policy and will not be shared with any third parties. We share mobile numbers only with the messaging providers we use to deliver texts (currently Clearstream and CallHarbor), and only for that purpose. More details on our use of text messaging can be found at http://sjegh.com/sms-terms.
Our Use of Technology Service Providers
Like most organizations, SJE uses trusted service providers to carry out its ministry and administration, including tools for email, accounting, giving, membership records, and document preparation. Our clergy and staff also use AI assistants (currently Claude, by Anthropic) to help draft correspondence, prepare financial and giving reports, and organize information, which can include names, contact details, giving records, and the general circumstances of pastoral care. We share only the information a task requires, we use accounts configured so our data is not used to train AI models, and we never sell your information. The content of sacramental confession is never entered into any technology tool.
Our Commitment to Data Security
To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
For any sensitive information, users are transferred to a TLS - secured domain and all network traffic is encrypted. We have appropriate physical security on our data as well as data encryption for protection of sensitive data.
How You Can Correct Your Information
You can correct factual errors in your personally identifiable information by sending us a request that credibly shows error. You can send those requests to pkurdziel@sjegh.com. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.
Last updated November 10, 2026.
