Privacy Policy & Data Transparency
Effective Date: August 2026 | Compliant with 2026 US State Privacy Statutes & Colorado ADMT Act (SB 26-189)
Empowerment Worship Center Inc. ("EWC", "we", "our", "us"), located at 100 Fagan Circle, Fort Valley, GA 31030, operates in accordance with 501(c)(3) non-profit governance and values the sacred trust placed in us by our congregation, online worshipers, and partners. This Privacy Policy sets forth our clear, transparent practices regarding personal data, cookies, financial confidentiality, and technology governance.
Artificial Intelligence & Automated Decision-Making Disclosure
In compliance with the Colorado Automated Decision-Making Technologies Act (SB 26-189) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) algorithmic transparency guidelines:
- No Automated Profiling / Consequential Decisions: EWC does NOT deploy automated decision-making systems, machine learning algorithms, or algorithmic profiling to make legal, financial, lending, pastoral, or other consequential decisions concerning any individual.
- No Model Training: EWC does NOT use your personal data, giving records, chat messages, or confidential prayer requests to train or fine-tune public or proprietary artificial intelligence foundation models.
- Human Pastoral Care: All prayer requests and ministry inquiries are received and held in pastoral confidence solely by designated human ministry staff.
10-Point Privacy Data Map
The following data map defines what information we collect, our lawful basis for processing, retention periods, and protection mechanisms:
| Data Point | Category & Source | Purpose & Legal Basis | Retention Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Member Accounts | Name, Email, Role (provided by user) | Account authentication, member portal access (Contractual Necessity) | Duration of active membership or until deletion requested |
| 2. Donation Transactions | Donor Name, Email, Gift Amount, Designated Fund, Transaction Ref | Tithe processing, official IRS tax statements (Legal Compliance & Consent) | 7 years (IRS 501(c)(3) tax audit requirements) |
| 3. Payment Card Details | Cardholder name, tokenized payment method (via Stripe Elements) | Payment processing. EWC servers never touch or store raw PAN or CVV (PCI-DSS SAQ A) | Handled directly by Stripe under PCI-DSS Level 1 certification |
| 4. Confidential Prayer Requests | Member Name, Phone, Request Message (submitted voluntarily) | Pastoral care, ministerial intercession (Explicit Consent) | Retained during active pastoral care or deleted upon request |
| 5. Live Stream Chat | Display name, chat text, timestamp | Community fellowship during live broadcasts (Legitimate Interest) | Auto-purged within 24 hours of broadcast completion |
| 6. Technical Tokens | JWT session token, encrypted cookie / local storage auth state | Maintaining authenticated member sessions securely (Strictly Necessary) | Session lifespan (cleared on logout or expiration) |
| 7. Cookie Consent Preference | Selection flag ('essential' or 'all') | Remembering user privacy choice across visits (Legal Compliance) | 12 months or until browser cache is cleared |
| 8. Security & Rate Limiting | Failed attempt counters, temporary lockout timestamp | Preventing credential stuffing and brute-force attacks (Legitimate Interest) | Rolling 15-minute lockout window |
| 9. Ministry Media & Sermons | Video streams, title, scripture references, audio recordings | Public religious worship broadcast and outreach (Ministry Mission) | Permanent ministry archive unless archived by admin |
| 10. Email Communications | Email address, contribution confirmation logs | Transmitting receipts and tax documentation via Resend (Contractual Fulfillment) | Retained in email server logs for 30 days |
Cookie & Storage Preferences
Our platform strictly adheres to opt-in privacy guidelines. We categorize cookies into two classes:
- Strictly Essential Cookies: Necessary for secure member authentication, CSRF defense, and processing donation transactions. These cannot be switched off without disabling core site features.
- Functional / Preference Storage: Stores your voluntary interface choices, such as volume state, closed caption preferences, or dismissed banners. These are only stored with your explicit opt-in.
You may adjust or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time using the Cookie Preferences link in the website footer.
Your Legal Privacy Rights (2026 US State Statutes)
Under applicable state privacy laws (including California CPRA, Colorado CPA, Connecticut CTDPA, Oregon OCPA, Utah UCPA, Virginia VCDPA, and Texas TDPSA), you are entitled to the following rights without discrimination:
- Right to Know & Access: You may request a machine-readable copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Correction: You may update or correct inaccurate profile information in your member portal or by contacting our administration.
- Right to Deletion: You may request deletion of your account and personal information. Please note that contribution records must be maintained for 7 years pursuant to IRS 501(c)(3) tax law.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale / Sharing: EWC does NOT sell, rent, or share personal information with data brokers or third-party advertisers for monetary or other valuable consideration.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will never deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different level of ministry service for exercising your privacy rights.
Data Security Architecture
We maintain comprehensive administrative, physical, and technical safeguards:
- Transport Security: Strict HTTPS with HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) and modern TLS 1.3 encryption.
- Database Security: PostgreSQL Row-Level Security (RLS) policies enforcing multi-tenant data separation. No member can access another member's contribution records or contact details.
- Input & File Verification: Rigorous server-side and client-side validation, including file header magic byte validation to prevent malicious uploads.
- Rate Limiting: Automated rate-limiting algorithms to mitigate credential-stuffing and unauthorized access attempts.
Children's Online Privacy
Our website is directed to the general community and congregation. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information without consent, please contact us immediately for prompt deletion.
Contact Us & Privacy Requests
To submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR), request data deletion, or ask questions regarding this policy, please contact our ministry administration:
Attn: Privacy & Data Governance Office
100 Fagan Circle, Fort Valley, GA 31030
Telephone: (229) 815-2006
Email: TheEmpowermentWorshipCenter@gmail.com