PRIVACY POLICY FOR CHRIST CHURCH, LONDON Christ Church has a Privacy Standards Policy applicable to all individuals, paid or unpaid who serve the church, to ensure the proper collection, retention and distribution of personal information. The policy is based on our baptismal promises to serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves and to respect the dignity of every human being. One aspect of our personal dignity is the right to expect control over the confidentiality of our personal information and what may be shared with the wider community. Our aim is to reflect this in the overall quality of our worship and social life together as well as in the organizational operation of the church. There are four areas of the organization of the parish life where information is collected for specific use. These are listed below with specific reference to what information is collected, how it is collected and used, who has access to it, and how it is retained. - Parish List
This is a list of current members including names of all members of a family who wish to be included, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses where applicable. It is collected and maintained in the parish office as individuals indicate their desire to become regular contributors to the parish through the envelope system or to be included on parish mailings. The information is collected for the internal operation of the parish and is used by parish officials and leaders as a reference for contacting parishioners. Copies of the list will be made available only to these people. Any lists of parishioners posted publicly for scheduling purposes will contain only names unless individuals have agreed otherwise. Individuals who are included on the parish list will also be included on the mailing list for the Anglican Journal and Huron Church News (the national and diocesan newspapers) unless they request otherwise. These two journals have a privacy policy, which is accessible through www.anglican.ca and www.diohuron.org.
Each person on the parish list is provided with the information on its use and will give permission for the same. Individuals with “unlisted” phone numbers can request the confidentiality of these numbers be restricted to office use. E-mail addresses will be protected to the best of our ability and used only for the purpose of disseminating internal parish information.
Outdated office copies of parish lists will be kept secure in a locked location for a period of five years.
- Parish Registers
These are books that contain personal information (names, birth dates, addresses) that relate to baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths. The incumbent of the parish is responsible for the collection and recording of the information. The information contained in these registers may be accessed for verification of events and identities of persons involved.
In order to access the church register people must apply to the parish office in most cases with a signed letter. The onus will be on the office staff and the incumbent to verify the identity and right of those requesting copies of the information.
Current registers are kept secure in the parish office. Non-current registers are stored in the Diocese of Huron Archives at Huron University College, UWO, which has its own privacy policy.
- Financial Records
These are records of financial donations made for the support of Christ Church and its operations, including related outside charitable organizations. They include names, addresses and amounts given. The Envelope Secretary is the person who collects and records this information for the purpose of receipting donations and for the bookkeeping of the parish and reports to Revenue Canada. The personal information is used only for receipting purposes. The weekly offerings are counted and recorded by a limited number of parish volunteers who are instructed and who have agreed in writing to the confidentiality and privacy policy of the parish.
The records are retained for the amount of time (7 years) as required by Revenue Canada. After this time they are destroyed.
- Personnel Files
These are files kept for each of the current employees of the parish, including the Rector and Honourary Assistant, which contain a letter of agreement with job description and remuneration. They will also contain a copy of the annual review for each position. They are maintained by the wardens of the parish and kept secure in the parish office.
There are separate files for volunteer positions that require police checks under the Safe Church policy. When a police check is submitted, the Incumbent (Rector) will see the completed check and make an entry to that effect and then return the original police check to the individual.
These files will be kept only for the length of time each individual is engaged in the activity for which they have been engaged or for which they have volunteered.
The authorized personnel to have access to stored information will be: the Incumbent (Rector), Wardens and Church Secretary of the parish.
Any questions should be directed to the Parish Privacy Officer who will be the Incumbent (Rector) of the parish.
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