Privacy Policy

Effective date: November 2, 2025

Who we are

This website is operated by Memorial Spiritualist Church (“we,” “us,” “our”).
Website: https://mscva.org
Contact: info@mscva.org or 307 West 37th Street, Norfolk, VA 23508

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices you have.

What personal data we collect and why we collect it

1) Information you provide to us

• Contact and inquiry forms: name, email, phone, message content, and any files you upload.
  Purpose: respond to inquiries, provide services, manage requests.
  Basis: consent and legitimate interests in running our site and serving our community.

• Event registrations, RSVPs, and tickets: name, email, attendee details, billing info if paid events are enabled, and preferences.
  Purpose: manage events, issue tickets, send updates, and comply with record-keeping requirements.
  Basis: contract and legitimate interests.

• Polls and quizzes: your selections and quiz responses.
  Purpose: gather feedback, education, and engagement.
  Basis: consent and legitimate interests.

• Comments:: name, email, comment text, and optional profile image.
  Purpose: publish comments and prevent spam.
  Basis: consent and legitimate interests.

2) Information collected automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referring URLs, and timestamps.
  Purpose: operate the site, security, analytics, and performance.
  Basis: legitimate interests.

3) Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies to:

• remember your preferences and login status

• improve performance and security

• measure site usage and event traffic

If you leave a comment or submit a form, you may opt in to saving your name, email, and site preferences in cookies for convenience. Cookies may persist for up to one year unless you clear them sooner. You can manage cookies in your browser settings.

Plugin-specific disclosures

WordPress core

• When visitors leave comments, WordPress stores the data shown in the comments form and the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent to help spam detection.

• If you upload images, avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract location data from images on the site.

Forms, Polls, and Quizzes

• Stores form submissions and metadata (IP, time submitted, page URL) to deliver responses and protect against abuse.

• If reCAPTCHA or similar anti-spam is enabled, your interaction may be evaluated by that service. Use of reCAPTCHA is subject to the provider’s terms and privacy policy.

Anti-Spam

• We use Akismet to filter spam on forms and comments. The service collects the information submitted, the submitter’s IP address, user agent, referrer, and site URL to perform spam checking.

The Events Calendar and Event Tickets

• We collect and store event, venue, and organizer details you submit, including event metadata and location.

• For RSVPs and tickets, we store attendee information and may email confirmations, reminders, or updates related to the event.

• If paid tickets are enabled, billing and payment details are processed by our payment processor and are not stored on our servers.

Payments and donations

Payments and donations may be processed by merchant services providers such as Paypal and Venmo. These processors receive the information needed to verify and complete the transaction. We do not store full payment card numbers on our servers. Your use of payment services is subject to their privacy policies.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles or pages may include embedded content (e.g., videos, maps). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you visited the other website and may collect data about you, use cookies, and monitor your interaction. Review the privacy policies of those providers.

Analytics

We may use privacy-minded analytics and server logs to understand site usage and improve our services. Data is aggregated whenever possible.

How we use your information

• Provide, maintain, and secure our website and services

• Respond to messages and support requests

• Manage events, registrations, tickets, and attendance

• Send administrative communications related to your requests or registrations

• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

We do not sell your personal information.

How long we retain your data

• Form submissions: retained for up to 18 months unless needed longer for service history or legal reasons.

• Event registrations and ticketing records: retained for up to 7 years if financial records apply, otherwise 24 months.

• Comments: retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments.

• Technical logs: retained for up to 12 months for security and auditing.

We delete or anonymize data when it is no longer needed.

Who we share data with

• Service providers who help us operate the site and deliver services, such as hosting, email, ticketing, analytics, and payment processing.

• Anti-spam and security services as noted above.

• Legal and safety: when required by law or to protect rights, safety, or property.

All providers are required to handle data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

Where your data is processed

Our site is hosted in the United States. Your information may be transferred to and processed in other countries where our service providers operate. We take steps to ensure adequate protection consistent with applicable law.

Your rights

Virginia residents (VCDPA)

You may have the right to request access, correction, deletion, and to opt out of targeted advertising or the sale of personal data. We do not sell personal data. To exercise your rights, contact info@mscva.org. We will verify requests as required.

California residents (CCPA/CPRA)

You may have the right to know, delete, correct, and opt out of certain sharing. We do not sell personal information. Submit requests to info@mscva.org.

EU/EEA/UK residents (GDPR)

Where GDPR applies, you have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to processing, and to data portability. Our legal bases are consent, contract, legal obligation, and legitimate interests. You may also lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

We will respond to verified requests within the time required by law.

Children’s privacy

Our site and events are intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. If you believe a child provided personal data to us, contact info@mscva.org so we can remove it.

Data security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including HTTPS, access controls, and regular updates. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Communications

If you register for events or submit forms, we may send you transactional emails related to your request. You can opt out of non-essential emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link or contacting us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Effective date” will indicate the latest revision. Significant changes will be posted on this page.

Contact us

For questions or privacy requests, contact:
Memorial Spiritualist Church
Email: info@mscva.org
Address: 307 W 37th Street, Norfolk, VA 23508