We wrote this in plain language. If anything is unclear, ask us.
1. Who we are
TGNC GoodNewsWorld Ltd runs Spirit Embassy Kampala and the GoodNewsVoice system that the church uses to look after its people. We decide why and how your personal information is used, so we are responsible for it under the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019.
Our Data Protection Officer is Ambassador Samuel Richard. Ask at the church office, or use the form for your data rights.
2. What we keep, why, and our legal basis
| Whose | What | Why | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members | Name, phone, email, address, birthday (day and month), notes from pastors and leaders | Keeping in touch, pastoral care, running the church | Our activities as a religious body, and your consent where it is needed |
| First-timers and new converts | Name, phone, email, area, how you heard of us, any prayer request you wrote | Following up and welcoming you | Your explicit consent, given on the welcome card |
| Givers and partners | Gifts, pledges, receipts, statements | Thanking you, receipts, the church accounts | Legal duty to keep accounts, and our activities as a religious body |
| Staff and volunteers | Name, role, sign-in records | Letting you do your work, keeping the system secure | Our legitimate interest in running and protecting the system |
| Messages we send | The text of SMS, email and Telegram messages and whether they arrived; for emails and our short links, whether and when they were opened and which links were clicked | Delivering the messages you agreed to receive, and knowing whether they reach you | Your consent |
| Visitors to this website | Your internet address in server records; the storage described in the cookie policy | Security and keeping you signed in | Our legitimate interest |
3. Sensitive information and children
Belonging to a church, and a prayer request, show something about your religious belief. The law treats that as special personal information, so we handle it with extra care. We ask for your explicit consent where we need it, and only people whose work needs it can see it. We keep a record of what you agreed to, when, and which version of this notice you saw. For anyone under 18 we also need a parent or guardian to agree, and we write down who they are. You can withdraw a consent at any time, as easily as you gave it, and we will stop the use it covered.
4. Who receives your information
Inside the church, only people whose work needs it, each with their own sign-in. Outside the church, only the companies that help us run the service:
We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising.
5. Information that goes outside Uganda
We do not currently send your information outside Uganda.
6. How long we keep it
- Accounts and giving records are kept for as long as the law requires, and are never deleted early.
- Everything else is kept while it is still needed for the reason we collected it, and reviewed regularly.
7. How we protect it
People who handle money, run the system or oversee data protection must sign in with an authenticator app as well as a password. Each person sees only what their work needs. Connections are encrypted. Sign-ins, rights changes and downloads of people or giving data are logged and watched. We make regular backups, and there is a written plan for what to do if something goes wrong, including telling the Personal Data Protection Office and the people affected.
8. Your rights
You may ask us to:
- show you the information we hold about you, and give you a copy;
- correct anything that is wrong;
- delete your information (unless the law says we must keep it, and then we will tell you why);
- stop or pause using it for a purpose, or object to a use;
- withdraw a consent you gave;
- not be judged by an automatic decision. We make none.
Use the form for your data rights, or contact our Data Protection Officer. You get a reference number, and we answer within 30 days. We may need to check who you are first, so we do not give your information to someone else.
9. If you are not happy
Tell us first, using the complaints form, and we will look into it and reply in writing. You also have the right to complain to the Personal Data Protection Office, at the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U), at any time. You do not have to come to us first.
10. Cookies
We use only what is needed to keep you signed in, and your preferences if you agree. See the cookie policy.
11. Changes
If we change how we use your information we update this page and its version number. The version you saw is recorded with each consent you give.