Privacy Policy

At St Mark's Church, Englefield we collect different types of information about our users for the following main reasons:

To provide a useful resource in the form of an online directory of users.
To provide an interactive website where email is used to communicate with the users.
To provide a security mechanism whereby we can restrict content to certain groups of users.
To enable the purchase and delivery of goods through our online shop.
To help us to improve the service we offer.

Our principles

We are absolutely committed to protecting your privacy. Our policy can be summarised in one sentence: we will not share your information with others without your consent.

We have established the following two principles:

We will respect your email privacy. You will only receive email from St Mark's Church, Englefield in relation to areas you have expressly signed up for.
We will not share any individual user details (including your email address) to any third party without your consent.

What information do we collect?

We collect information on our users through registration.

The minimum information we need to register a user is your first and last name and a password. We also ask for some further, voluntary information so we can provide a richer, more useful address book.

We collect information on our customers when you make a purchase through our shop.

We will collect your name, postal and email addresses, payment information and information about your order. Payment information is then transmitted and processed securely and is NOT held on our servers.

Who will have access to your information?

You have control over who is able to access specific items of information. By default your personal information will be visible to other authenticated users of the site. You can change these settings from your personal profile page. Your information will be used to build the online address book and show your birthday in the St Mark's Church, Englefield calendar.

What else you should know about privacy

Remember to close your browser when you have finished your user session. This is to ensure that others cannot access your personal information and correspondence if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or internet cafe. You as an individual are responsible for the security of, and access to, your own computer.

Please be aware that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information over the internet that this information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information in publicly accessible online forums, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your usernames and passwords and any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are using the internet.

Our pages may contain links to other websites, and you should be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices on other websites.

We use Stripe for payment, analytics, and other business services. Stripe collects identifying information about the devices that connect to its services. Stripe uses this information to operate and improve the services it provides to us, including for fraud detection. You can learn more about Stripe and read its privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.

Any Questions?

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Welcome

The following information is for those planning a visit, to give an idea beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning. We know it can feel a bit daunting at first but St Mark's is here for everyone and we LOVE welcoming new faces even if it is for a one-off visit.

Where and when

We meet at St Mark's Church (details here) for our Sunday Service which starts at 10:30am and lasts about an hour. We try to host services that A-R-E: Accessible, Relevant and Engaging. Please do let us know how we are doing!

When you arrive, you will be handed a service sheet and hymn book. You are welcome to sit anywhere. For your first visit, you might like to arrive 10-15 minutes early to ensure you can park (there is plenty of room on the drive outside the church - please try and avoid parking on the grass!) and find somewhere to sit before the service begins.

Our services always include Holy Communion shared at the altar rail. If you would like to have a brief prayer of blessing instead, please do come to the altar rail with everyone else and keep your hands down so that Julia knows. We are able to offer non-alcoholic wine and gluten-free wafers (please email a few days beforehand) and we are also happy to bring Communion to you in your seat - please just let the person on the door know. There is no obligation to kneel at the rail, you can receive Communion standing if you prefer. We encourage all children to come for blessing if they would like to.

Gravel Path to StMarks

Accessibility

The path to the church is gravel which can be tricky for wheelchairs but please don't hesitate to ask for help. There are two steps in the porch but there is a ramp available - just ask at the door or send an email to office@stmarksenglefield.org.uk before you come. We have a wheelchair and there is also a sound loop for anyone who needs it. We have a composting toilet which also has a ramp and an accessible doorway but does not have grab rails.

What about my children?

We have a weekly programme of teaching and activities for young children:

Crèche (0 months to 3 years)
Sunday Club (3+ years)

On Sundays in half-terms and holidays when there is no teaching, there are colouring sheets in church, and toys and books available in the vestry.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome and the first hymn. They come to the front during the last verse if they wish, for a short prayer together, before going out to the vestry. Adults are welcome to stay with their children - especially on a first visit - and as the vestry is just in the next room you will soon know if your presence is required! (If your child prefers to read or colour next to you that is really fine too!) The children rejoin the congregation for Communion and the final hymn. We often have refreshments after the service and juice and biscuits are provided.

The Sunday Club activities vary depending on the age but usually include a friendly welcome, a Bible story, crafts, games and free play. All our helpers are DBS checked and trained. Please see our Safeguarding information here. Please let the team know of any serious allergies or health conditions.

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Say hello!

If you would like to learn more about St Mark's please do make yourself known to Rev Julia, or one of the churchwardens. They would be delighted to chat after the service.

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best wishes

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