Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 16, 2026

Bethel Christian Center (“BCC,” “we,” “us”) is a church community at 36 Patrick Dr, Westbrook, ME 04092. We care about the people who visit our website and we want you to know how we handle the information you share with us. This policy applies to bccmaine.org and the forms, pages and features on it.

Information we collect

Information you give us

• Contact and connection forms — your name, email address, phone number, message, and the ministries or next steps you are interested in.
• Prayer requests — anything you choose to share with us so we can pray for you. Please share only what you are comfortable with.
• Serve team and ministry sign-ups — your contact details and areas of interest.
• Messages you send us by email, phone or WhatsApp.

Giving

Online gifts are processed by our giving partners, Givelify and Cash App. Your card or bank details go directly to them; BCC does not receive or store your full payment information. We may receive your name, contact details and gift amount so we can keep accurate records and provide giving statements.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to understand how the site is used — for example, which pages are visited, the type of device and browser, the website that referred you, and your approximate location (city or region). This information helps us improve the site and is not used to identify you personally.

How we use your information

• To respond to your questions and requests.
• To pray for you and to provide pastoral care when you ask for it.
• To help you take next steps, join a ministry or serve team, or plan your visit.
• To record gifts and provide giving statements.
• To share church news and events with you, if you have asked to hear from us.
• To keep our website secure and improve how it works.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

How we share information

We share information only when it is needed to care for you or to run our ministry:

• Church staff and trusted ministry leaders who need it to follow up with you. Prayer requests are shared only with our pastoral and prayer teams unless you ask us to share them more widely.
• Service providers that help us operate the website and ministry, such as our web host, Google (analytics and calendar), Givelify and Cash App (giving), WhatsApp (chat), YouTube (video), Adobe Fonts (typography) and accessiBe (accessibility tools). They may only use the information to provide their services to us.
• When required by law, or when necessary to protect the safety of any person.

Cookies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. Our website and the services above use cookies to remember preferences, measure visits and keep features such as embedded videos working. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics using Google’s browser add-on. Some parts of the site may not work as expected without cookies.

Embedded content and other websites

Some pages include content from other websites, such as YouTube videos, a Google Calendar of events, and links to our Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. These services may collect information about you under their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of websites we link to.

Photos and videos

We often take photos and videos at worship services and church events and may share them on our website, including our gallery, and on social media. By attending, you understand you may appear in these images. We do not publish the full names of children alongside their photos. If you would like a photo of you or your child removed, please contact us and we will remove it promptly.

Children’s privacy

Our website is intended for adults and families. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. Information for kids’ and youth activities is collected from a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes described above, or as required for financial and legal records. Prayer requests and messages are not kept longer than needed to follow up with you.

How we protect information

Our website uses a secure (HTTPS) connection, and access to the information you send us is limited to the people who need it. No method of sending or storing information online is completely secure, so please avoid sending highly sensitive details through our forms.

Your choices

You may ask us to show you, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you, or to stop contacting you, at any time. Just email or call us using the details below.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the new version on this page and change the effective date above.

Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please reach out: