The Short Version

We know nobody reads privacy policies. Here's what this one says, in plain language.

• We don't sell your information. Ever. To anyone.
• We only collect what you hand us. If you fill out a form, register for an event, or give online, we have that information. If you just visit our site, we don't.
• We take photos and video at our services and events. We post them on Instagram and YouTube. If you don't want to be in them, tell any staff member or email us and we'll take care of it — before or after the fact.
• We don't photograph your child without your permission. For anyone under 18, we need a parent or guardian to give written consent first.
• Kids get extra care. Kids Church registration collects information about your child so we can keep them safe. Only the people running the program see it, and we delete it when the program ends.
• Prayer requests stay with the pastoral team. They are not shared, posted, read aloud, or forwarded.
• We only add you to our WhatsApp group if you ask to be in it. Leave anytime — no explanation needed.
• You can leave anything anytime. Email contact@wearebelove.org and we'll remove you from whatever you want to be removed from.

The full policy is below. If something in the short version and the full version seem to disagree, the full version governs — but tell us.

Full Policy

A. Scope and Acceptance

This policy applies to all websites, registration systems, messaging channels, and social media accounts operated by BeLOVE SDA Church ("BeLOVE," "we," "us"), including our DC campus, our Lorton, Virginia campus, and our accounts on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp.

By using a website or service we operate, you agree to the terms below. If you do not agree, please do not use them.

We review this policy periodically and may add to, modify, or remove portions of it at our discretion. Check back from time to time so you're aware of any changes.

To reach us about this policy, email contact@wearebelove.org or write to:

BeLOVE SDA Church
907 Maryland Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002

B. What We Collect and How We Use It

We do not automatically collect personally identifiable information — name, address, email, phone number, or payment information — from visitors to our websites.

We collect that information only when you knowingly and voluntarily give it to us: through a contact form, an event or camp registration, a giving transaction, a prayer request, a volunteer sign-up, or a request to be baptized or to meet with a pastor.

We use that information only for the purpose you submitted it for, unless we disclose another use in this policy or tell you at the time we collect it.

We do not sell, trade, rent, or otherwise disclose personally identifiable information to outside parties.

We reserve the right to monitor aggregate traffic patterns and site usage to improve our design and layout.

C. Security

Our technology partners use industry-standard internet security practices, including secure server software (SSL) that encrypts information you submit before it reaches us. We maintain reasonable and appropriate safeguards to protect the security, integrity, and privacy of information in our possession.

D. Cookies and Analytics

Cookies are small pieces of information your browser stores on your device. Ours do not contain personally identifying information about you.

We use Google Analytics to understand how people find and move through our site — which pages get visited, how long people stay, and where visitors come from. This is aggregate traffic data used to improve the site. It is not used to identify individual visitors, and we do not combine it with information you submit through forms.

Most browsers accept cookies automatically; you can change your browser settings to refuse them — check your browser's help files for instructions. Google also offers a browser add-on to opt out of Analytics entirely. You may additionally receive cookies from third parties whose content appears on our pages, and we cannot control those.

E. Children's Information and Kids Church

We collect information about children only from a parent or legal guardian, and only through a registration process that parent or guardian completes.

For Kids Church and other children's programming, this may include the child's name, age, allergies and relevant medical information, emergency contact details, and authorized pickup contacts. We collect this information solely to run the program safely.

Access is limited to pastoral staff, program leaders, and volunteers with a direct need to know for the child's care and safety.

We retain it only as long as necessary to operate the program and meet any recordkeeping obligations, after which it is deleted or securely destroyed.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children. If you believe a child has submitted information to us without a parent or guardian's involvement, contact contact@wearebelove.org and we will delete it.

Parents and guardians may review, correct, or request deletion of their child's information at any time by contacting us.

F. Photography, Video, and Likeness

Our services, events, and programs are photographed, recorded, and livestreamed. We post this content publicly on our website, YouTube channel, Instagram, and other social media.

By attending a BeLOVE service, event, or program, you consent to being photographed and recorded, and to that content being used for ministry, outreach, and promotional purposes without compensation.

If you prefer not to appear in our content, tell any staff or media team member on site, or email contact@wearebelove.org. We will make reasonable efforts to keep you out of published material, and we will remove content featuring you on request.

We do not sell or license images of attendees to third parties.

Children under 18 are treated differently. We photograph, record, or publish images of a minor only where a parent or legal guardian has given written permission at registration or on a signed release. Where permission has not been given, we make reasonable efforts to exclude the child from published photos, video, and livestream footage — including keeping them out of camera sightlines during Kids Church and children's programming.

Permission may be withdrawn at any time by contacting contact@wearebelove.org, and we will remove existing content on request.

G. WhatsApp and Direct Messages

We do not operate a text messaging service. Church events, service reminders, and member communication are shared through our WhatsApp group.

We add phone numbers to that group only after a person has signed up and asked to be included — through a form, a card, or a direct request to staff. We do not add numbers obtained any other way. Message and data rates may apply.

To leave, exit the group or email contact@wearebelove.org and we will remove you. You do not need to give a reason.

We may also correspond with you through direct messages on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or other social platforms, where you have messaged us there or asked us to follow up that way.

Please note that WhatsApp group members can see one another's phone numbers. We do not control that, and it is a function of how the platform works. If you would rather not have your number visible to other members, let us know, and we'll communicate with you another way.

H. Prayer Requests and Pastoral Confidentiality

Prayer requests submitted through our website, forms, QR codes, or in person are received by pastoral staff only.

They are not posted publicly, shared on social media, read aloud in services, forwarded to WhatsApp groups, or distributed to volunteers or the wider congregation unless you specifically ask us to share them.

We may retain requests to follow up with you pastorally. You can ask us to delete a request at any time.

The limits on this are the ones that apply to any pastoral relationship: we may act on information where there is a credible risk of harm to you or someone else, or where the law requires disclosure — including mandatory reporting of suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult.

I. Social Media and Third-Party Platforms

We maintain accounts on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp. We are users of those platforms, not the operators of them.

When you follow, comment, message, watch, or otherwise interact with us there, those platforms collect data about you under their own privacy policies, and we have no control over what they collect or how they use it. Review their policies directly.

Information you send us through a platform's direct-message feature reaches us, but it also passes through that platform's systems. For anything sensitive, email us at contact@wearebelove.org instead.

J. Online Giving

Donations made through our website or QR codes are processed by a third-party payment processor. We do not receive or store your full payment card or bank account details. We receive the information necessary to record the gift and issue acknowledgments and giving statements.

K. Promotions

We may run promotions, raffles, or giveaways that require participants to submit personal information. We may use that information in aggregate to evaluate participation. Promotions are subject to change without notice.

L. Links to Other Sites

Our websites may link to, or be linked from, sites we do not operate. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites. Each has its own policies about what information it collects and publishes.

M. Technology Providers

We work with the following providers to deliver our online services. Each maintains its own privacy policy, and we encourage you to review them:

• Nucleus — website, forms and sign-up flows, prayer inbox —

nucleus.church/legal

• Pushpay — online giving and payment processing —

pushpay.com/legal-center/privacy

• Planning Center — registrations, attendance, and member records —

planningcenter.com/congregant-privacy

• Google (Gmail) — church email and correspondence —

policies.google.com/privacy

• Google Analytics — website traffic measurement —

policies.google.com/privacy

Nucleus and Planning Center both operate as service providers acting on our instructions. Data collected about you through these platforms is owned by the church, not by the vendor — under data protection law they act as processors and BeLOVE acts as the controller. In plain terms: they hold the data, but we are responsible for it, and any request about your information should come to us at contact@wearebelove.org.

Legal Disclaimer

Accuracy. In preparing this site, every effort has been made to offer current, correct, and clearly expressed information. Errors may still occur and information may become dated. BeLOVE SDA Church disclaims responsibility for typographical errors and for the accuracy or timeliness of information on our sites, and reserves the right to make changes at any time without notice. If you find something misleading or inaccurate, contact contact@wearebelove.org and we will make a reasonable effort to correct or remove it.

Third-party content. Once you leave our site, we cannot control the information you access. We link to external sites in the hope you'll find useful related material, but we do not control them and are not responsible for their content, their subsequent links, or changes made to them.

Reliability. We make no representations or warranties regarding the condition or functionality of this website, its suitability for any use, or that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

Damages. By using this website you assume all risks associated with its use, including risk to your computer, software, or data from any virus or file transmitted via the site. BeLOVE SDA Church shall not be liable for damages of any kind — general, special, incidental, or consequential — resulting from use or misuse of information on this site.

Endorsement. Reference to any commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, or manufacturer does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by BeLOVE SDA Church. Views expressed by authors on this site do not necessarily reflect ours and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement.

Copyright and trademarks. Copyright © 2026 BeLOVE SDA Church. All rights reserved.

All material on this site is copyrighted by BeLOVE SDA Church, except material copyrighted by others and used here by permission. Copyrighted material may not be copied, reproduced, or used for commercial purposes without written permission of the copyright holder. This site contains trademarks that may not be used by anyone other than the trademark owner or contrary to trademark law. To request permission to use material, email contact@wearebelove.org.