1. Overview & Commitment to Privacy
Discovery Church of Gulfport ("Discovery Church," "we," "our," or "us"), located at 2601 17th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501, respects the privacy of our visitors, members, volunteers, and pastoral staff. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and manage information submitted through dcgulfport.org and our Staff Administration Portal.
2. Information We Collect
We collect personal information only when voluntarily provided by you through our website or staff portal forms, including:
- Digital Connection Cards: Name, phone number, email address, visit date, and ministry interests.
- Confidential Prayer & Pastoral Care Requests: Name, optional phone number, request category, and prayer details shared with our pastoral team.
- Staff & Leadership Portal Accounts: Staff name, username, role assignment, email address, mobile phone number, and explicit SMS opt-in/opt-out consent timestamps.
3. SMS / Text Messaging Privacy & Terms
No Third-Party Sharing of Mobile Data: No mobile information, phone numbers, or SMS opt-in consent data will be shared, sold, rented, or disclosed to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with subcontractors in support services (such as our SMS delivery provider) is strictly limited to delivering authorized church notifications. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
- Program Description: Authorized pastoral staff and ministry leaders who explicitly opt in receive automated SMS alerts when a guest submits a Digital Connection Card or when a member submits a Pastoral Care / Prayer Request.
- Consent & Opt-In: SMS alerts are sent only to individuals who provide explicit opt-in consent via the Discovery Church Staff Portal (My Account & SMS preferences) or authorized administrative onboarding. Consent is not a condition of church membership or attendance.
- Opt-Out Instructions: You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any text message received from Discovery Church, or by unchecking SMS notifications in your Staff Portal account settings. After replying STOP, you will receive one final confirmation message and no further texts will be sent unless you opt back in.
- Help & Support: For assistance, reply HELP to any message, call our church office at (228) 366-9360, or visit http://dcgulfport.org.
- Rates & Frequency: Message frequency varies based on church intake activity. Standard message and data rates may apply according to your mobile carrier plan. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
4. How We Use & Protect Your Information
Information collected on dcgulfport.org is used exclusively for church ministry, guest hospitality follow-up, confidential pastoral prayer support, facilities maintenance coordination, and internal staff notifications. Confidential prayer requests are restricted to authorized Pastoral Staff accounts. We implement encrypted password hashing, role-based access controls, and secure database connections to safeguard your records.
5. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to update or remove your contact records, please contact us at:
Discovery Church of Gulfport
2601 17th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501
Phone: (228) 366-9360