Privacy Policy for Mekane Selam EOTC

Effective Date: May 24, 2025

Mekane Selam EOTC (referred to as “the Church,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our website and interact with us online. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information gathered through our website, www.dallasmekaneselam.org (the “Site”).

1. Information We Collect

We may collect various types of information, including:

Personal Information: This may include your name, email address, phone number, postal address, and other contact information when you voluntarily provide it to us (e.g., when you fill out a contact form, subscribe to a newsletter, register for an event, or make a donation).
Non-Personal Information: This includes information that does not directly identify you, such as browser type, operating system, IP address, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the dates and times of visits. This information is collected through cookies and other tracking technologies (see Section 4).

2. How We Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To Respond to Your Inquiries: To respond to your questions, comments, or requests submitted through our contact forms or other communication channels.
To Provide Services: To facilitate your participation in church events, ministries, or activities for which you have registered.
To Send Communications: To send you newsletters, updates, announcements, event invitations, or other communications related to the Church’s mission and activities, if you have opted in to receive them.
To Process Donations: To process and acknowledge donations made through our Site.
To Improve Our Website: To understand how visitors use our Site, analyze trends, and improve the functionality and content of our website.
For Internal Operations: For internal administrative purposes, such as data analysis, auditing, and preventing fraudulent activity.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or governmental requests.

3. Disclosure of Your Information

We will not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With Service Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our activities, or providing services to you (e.g., payment processors, email service providers, website hosting). These service providers are obligated to keep your information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
- Comply with a legal obligation.
- Protect and defend the rights or property of Mekane Selam EOTC.
- Act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the Site, the Church, or the public.
- Protect against legal liability.
With Your Consent: We may disclose your information to other third parties with your explicit consent.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site may use “cookies” and similar tracking technologies (e.g., web beacons, pixels) to enhance your experience and collect non-personal information.

Cookies: A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a web server. Cookies are used to remember your preferences, analyze website traffic, and personalize content. You can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer, but this may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Google Analytics: We may use Google Analytics to collect and analyze information about how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics uses cookies to gather data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and pages visited. This information is used to improve our website and understand user behavior. You can learn more about Google’s privacy practices and how to opt out of Google Analytics by visiting the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on page.

5. Your Choices and Rights

Opt-Out of Communications: If you no longer wish to receive communications from us, you can unsubscribe by following the instructions provided in our emails or by contacting us directly.
Access and Update Your Information: You may have the right to access, update, or correct your personal information held by us. Please contact us using the information below to make such requests.
Do Not Track: Our Site does not currently respond to “Do Not Track” signals from web browsers.

6. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of these third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

7. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

8. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will take steps to remove that information from our records.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post the revised Privacy Policy on this page with an updated “Effective Date.” We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at: