Open Heaven Church is committed to keeping our members and visitors safe, and that includes making sure we correctly handle your personal data both in our database (ChurchSuite) and in any other form. We will not share your personal data with anyone outside of the Open Heaven team without asking you first (unless we are required to share it by law). We also take care to keep access to your data secure and limited to reduce the chance it is seen by someone outside of the Open Heaven team. Our data protection officer is our Finance and Facilities Manager, Nathaniel Alsop. If you have any questions or problems regarding how Open Heaven uses your personal data, please contact us.

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If you are not a member but are just attending an Open Heaven event, then we will only use your data in the running of that event. If you are a member of Open Heaven, then the ways we use your personal data are:

• For running our events, projects and gatherings.
• For contacting you about important OH news and upcoming events (except where you’ve told us not to).
• For managing giving and Gift Aid (where you’ve chosen to claim it).
• For photos and publicity of our events.
• For your pastoral care as a member of our church family.

We use the majority of this data out of our legitimate interest in running a functioning church that you want to be a part of. Though there is some data which we hold and require consent to use:

• Media that identifies you as a Christian or as belonging to any other religion.
• Information about the mental or physical health of children (under 16s).

If you are a member and decide to leave Open Heaven, we will delete your personal information within three months of you leaving, but if you want it deleted sooner, then do get in touch. If you are a visitor at an Open Heaven event, then the data you have provided will be removed from ChurchSuite one year after the event. This is so we can better plan future events. But again, let us know if you want that information deleted sooner.

Parents, please note you also have these rights over the data of your children if they are under 16. You have the right to know how your data is stored and used. If you want more information than we’ve given you here, then please get in touch. You have the right to see the personal data we have about you. If you have a My ChurchSuite account, this can be found on your account profile. Otherwise, let us know, and we will happily provide you with a secure copy of your own information. You have the right to update and correct any data we hold on you. Again this can be done either via your My ChurchSuite account or by contacting us here at the office. You have the right to have some or all of your data removed from our systems which you can do either manually through My ChurchSuite or by contacting us directly. You have the right to restrict how we use your data. You may edit your contact preferences via My ChurchSuite. But if you want to make any other restrictions, please get in touch. You have the right to have your data in a format that lets you move it to a new system. Please contact the office, and we can provide you with your personal data in spreadsheet form. You have the right to object to Open Heaven processing your personal data. This can be done through My ChurchSuite’s “Right to Be Forgotten” option or by contacting us directly. And lastly, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you think we’ve done something wrong with your personal data.