to know Jesus and make him known, locally and globally

Privacy Policy

GENERAL PRIVACY NOTICE

This Privacy Notice is for non-role holders.

St Nicholas, Sevenoaks, Registered Charity No. 1132854

Data Controller: The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Nicholas, Sevenoaks
Charity Number: 1132854
Data Protection Lead: Beverlea Parkhill, Operations Director
Date of Policy: Effective as of 25th May 2018 (updated September 2024)

This is the privacy statement and data protection policy for St Nicholas, Sevenoaks. It covers how we will process (use and store) your data, what data we hold, your individual rights and how you can interact with us about your data. As with all policy statements, it is a bit wordy! Please don’t let this put you off, and if you require clarification on any points, please get in touch with our Data Protection Lead who will be happy to help.

Your personal data – what is it?

“Personal data” is any information about a living individual which allows them to be identified from that data (for example a name, photographs, videos, email address, or address). Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information. The processing of personal data is governed by the Data Protection Bill/Act 2017 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the “GDPR” and other legislation relating to personal data and rights such as the Human Rights Act 1998).

Who are we?

This Privacy Notice is provided to you by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Nicholas, Sevenoaks, Charity Number 1132854 which is the data controller for your data.

The Church of England is made up of a number of different organisations and office-holders who work together to deliver the Church’s mission in each community.

The PCC works together with:

  • the incumbent of the parish (that is, our [vicar or rector]);
  • the bishops of the Diocese of Rochester; and
  • the Diocesan Office, which is responsible for the financial and administrative arrangements for the Diocese of Rochester.

As the Church is made up of all of these persons and organisations working together, we may need to share personal data we hold with them so that they can carry out their responsibilities to the Church and our community. The organisations referred to above are joint data controllers. This means we are all responsible to you for how we process your data.

Each of the data controllers have their own tasks within the Church and a description of what data is processed and for what purpose is set out in this Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice is sent to you by the PCC on our own behalf and on behalf of each of these data controllers. In the rest of this Privacy Notice, we use the word “we” to refer to each data controller, as appropriate.

What data do the data controllers listed above process?

St Nicholas Sevenoaks processes data containing:

  • Names, titles, aliases, photographs;
  • Contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses;
  • Where there is a legitimate interest to carry out our charitable aims and activities, or where you have provided them to us, we may process demographic information such as gender, age, date of birth, marital status, nationality, education/work histories, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition, and dependants;
  • Where you give financially in support of St Nicholas Sevenoaks or pay for church activities (event bookings etc.), financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers;
  • The data we process is likely to constitute sensitive personal data because, as a church, the fact that we process your data at all may be suggestive of your religious beliefs. Where you provide this information, we may also process other categories of sensitive personal data: racial or ethnic origin, mental and physical health, details of injuries, medication/treatment received or data concerning criminal records.

How do we process your personal data?

The data controllers will comply with their legal obligations to keep personal data up to date; to store and destroy it securely; not to collect or retain excessive amounts of data; to keep personal data secure; to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and to ensure that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

What do we use your data for?

We only hold data that either we are legally obliged to or that helps us fulfil our missional and charitable aims as a church. We are a membership organisation and good communication with our membership is an essential part of being church.

Therefore, we will hold and process data to:

  • enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations (which include maintaining and publishing our electoral roll in accordance with the Church Representation Rules);
  • carry out comprehensive safeguarding procedures (including due diligence and complaints handling) in accordance with best safeguarding practice from time to time with the aim of ensuring that all children and adults-at-risk are provided with safe environments;
  • minister to you and provide you with pastoral and spiritual care (such as visiting you when you are gravely ill or bereaved) and to organise and perform ecclesiastical services for you, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals;
  • deliver the Church’s mission to our community, and to carry out any other voluntary or charitable activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in the constitution and statutory framework of each data controller;
  • administer the parish, deanery, archdeaconry and diocesan membership records;
  • fundraise and promote the interests of the Church and charity;
  • maintain our own accounts and records;
  • process and record financial donations that you have made (including Gift Aid information);
  • seek your views or comments;
  • notify you of changes to our services, events and role holders;
  • send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you. These may include information about campaigns, appeals, other fundraising activities;
  • process a grant or application for a role;
  • enable us to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical area as specified in our constitution;

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

  • Most of our data is processed because it is necessary for our legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of a third party (such as another organisation in the Church of England). For example, maintaining membership records, safeguarding our children, recording our financial donations and operating team rotas for the effective function of Sunday services.
  • Some of our processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. For example, we are required by the Church Representation Rules to administer and publish the electoral roll, and under Canon Law to announce forthcoming weddings by means of the publication of banns.
  • We may also process data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. An example of this would be processing your data in connection with the hire of church facilities or buying tickets for a church event.
  • Religious organisations are also permitted to process information about your religious beliefs to administer membership or contact details.
  • Where your information is used other than in accordance with one of these legal bases, we will first obtain your consent to that use.

Will we share your personal data?

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential. It will only be shared with third parties where it is necessary for the performance of our tasks or where you first give us your prior consent.
It is likely that we will need to share your data with some or all of the following (but only where necessary):

  • The appropriate bodies of the Church of England including the other data controllers;
  • Our agents, servants and contractors. For example, we may ask a commercial provider to send out newsletters on our behalf, or to maintain our database software;
  • Other clergy or lay persons nominated or licensed by the bishops of the Diocese of Rochester to support the mission of the Church in our parish.
  • On occasion, other churches with which we are carrying out joint events or activities.

How long will we keep your personal data?

In general, we will endeavour to keep data only for as long as we need it. Where you continue to actively engage with our church services, activities and events, we will retain the appropriate membership data for you so that we can best serve your involvement. This means that we may delete it when it is no longer needed.

Additionally:-

  • We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so.
  • We may keep some other records for an extended period of time. For example, it is current best practice to keep financial records for a minimum period of 7 years to support HMRC audits.

What are your rights in respect of your personal data?

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

When exercising any of the rights listed below, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security. In such cases we will need you to respond with proof of your identity before you can exercise these rights

1. The right to access information we hold on you

At any point you can contact us to request the information we hold on you as well as why we have that information, who has access to the information and where we obtained the information from. Once we have received your request we will respond within one month.
There are no fees or charges for the first request but additional requests for the same data may be subject to an administrative fee

2. The right to correct and update the information we hold on you

If the data we hold on you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and your data will be updated.

3. The right to have your information erased

If you feel that we should no longer be using your data or that we are illegally using your data, you can request that we erase the data we hold. When we receive your request, we will confirm whether the data has been deleted or the reason why it cannot be deleted (for example because we need it for our legitimate interests or regulatory purpose(s).

4. The right to object to processing of your date
You have the right to request that we stop processing your data. Upon receiving the request, we will contact you and let you know if we are able to comply or if we have legitimate grounds to continue to process your data. Even after you exercise your right to object, we may continue to hold your data to comply with your other rights or to bring or defend legal claims.

5. The right to data portability

You have the right to request that we transfer some of your data to another controller. We will comply with your request, where it is feasible to do so, within one month of receiving your request.

6. The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time for any processing of data to which consent was sought.
You can withdraw your consent easily by telephone, email, or by post (see Contact Details below).

7. The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Transfer of Data Abroad

Any electronic personal data transferred to countries or territories outside the EU will only be placed on systems complying with measures giving equivalent protection of personal rights either through international agreements or contracts approved by the European Union. Our website is also accessible from overseas so on occasion some personal data (for example in a newsletter) may be accessed from overseas.

Our main church membership database system and accounting package operates on UK based secure servers.

Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

Contact Details

If you have any queries or concerns about how we use your data, please contact us.

Data Protection lead: Beverlea Parkhill
Email:
Tel: 01732 740340
Address: St Nicholas Church, Rectory Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 1JA

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email
https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe
House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Cookies

We use cookies on our website. By clicking ‘Accept Cookies’ you agree to this Policy and you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this Policy.

About Cookies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
There are two main kinds of cookies: “session” cookies and “persistent” cookies. Session cookies only last for the duration of users using the website and are deleted from your computer when you close your browser, whereas persistent cookies outlast user sessions and remain stored on your computer until deleted, or until they reach their expiry date.

Cookies on this website

We use both Session Cookie and Persistent Cookies on this website.
Generally, we use cookies to help us administer this website, to improve the website’s usability and for marketing purposes. We may also use cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to user needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not.
Cookies do not contain any information that personally identifies you, a cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you.

You can choose to accept cookies or not. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Third-Party Cookies

We also use third party cookies to analyse the use of this website and improve its performance.

For this purpose we use Google Analytics. Google Analytics generates statistical and other information about website use by means of cookies, which are stored on users’ computers. The information generated relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of the website. Google will store and use this information. Read Google’s privacy policy. Find out more about Google Analytics opt out.
Most browsers allow you to reject all cookies, whilst some browsers allow you to reject just third party cookies.

This website cookies policy template is based on a free document supplied by The Legal Stop Limited through its website.

DAY 1 : MATTHEW 16:21-28

Getting our bearings

Introduction

I use satnav but I prefer maps. Of course satnav is a wonderful tool to enable you to get to your holiday destination, provided you spell correctly in order to ensure that you are not directed to a similar sounding place a few hundred miles away. But there is a problem: though satnav can get you there, it doesn’t really show you where you are. A good Ordnance Survey map, at least in the hands of someone who knows which way up it should be held, provides the context. It helps to show how the single point of your destination relates to the whole of the surrounding countryside.

It’s the same with the Bible. It’s great to look at a particular verse or passage. But it will make much more sense when you are able to understand the surroundings. In other words the context will always help to make sense of the text. So, as we prepare to make Matthew 17:1-8 our holiday destination for the next few weeks we are deliberately going to get the map out first and look at the surrounding countryside so that we can see exactly where we are. We’ll need to focus on more than a verse or two as we’ll want to try to get a good view of the whole area. However, the aim of this first study is not to notice every single detail but to help us get our bearings for Matthew 17:1-8.

Read Matthew 16:21-28

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

‘From that time on …’ (16:21) introduces a new section within Matthew’s Gospel. The phrase was previously used at 4:17 to introduce Jesus’ public ministry. In getting an overview of Matthew, it is apparent that his first main section 4:17-16:20 focuses on the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It culminates in Peter’s recognition that Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (16:16). The second main section runs from 16:21 onwards and introduces the momentous theme that Jesus will ‘go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’. Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection will take us to the end of the Gospel. 

A very similar division is also apparent within Mark’s Gospel. It starts with the headline at Mark 1:1 ‘The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’. Part one of Mark comes to a climax with Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29). Part two comes to a climax with Jesus on the cross and the centurion’s recognition ‘Truly this man was the Son of God’ (Mark 15:39). So, Matthew and Mark follow the same broad approach of revealing the identity of Christ before moving on to consider His suffering, death and resurrection. 

Indeed each of the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, include the Transfiguration at exactly the same point in their narratives.

Matthew Mark Luke
Peter's confession of Christ 16:13-20 8:27-30 9:18-20
Jesus' prediction of the cross 16:21-23 8:31-33 9:21-22
The call to the disciples 16:24-26 8:34-37 9:23-25
Jesus' prediction of return 16:27 8:38 9:26
Introducing the Transfiguration 16:28 9:1 9:27
The Transfiguration 17:1-8 9:2-8 9:28-36

So, what is happening in this new section of the Gospel?

First, we hear the paradoxical truth that Jesus, who has just been acknowledged as God’s anointed ruler (the Christ), is going to suffer and die in Jerusalem. It’s paradoxical because it simply doesn’t appear to make sense for the long hoped-for leader to die. That’s certainly how Peter assessed the situation (16:22). Yet Jesus’ robust reply (16:23) makes it crystal clear that Peter’s human perspective was completely wrong – he needed to see things from God’s perspective. In the coming days Jesus would reveal how His death would be a necessity (he must go – 16:21) so that the forgiveness of our sins would be made possible (26:28).

Second, Jesus speaks not just of His suffering and death but also of His resurrection (16:21) and future return in glory (16:27). Death would not be the end. Instead Jesus opens their eyes to the future and tells them of His glorious return as Judge. Not only is He revealing Himself as Saviour through His sacrificial death but He is also declaring Himself to be the Lord. The cross will be followed by the crown.

Third, within this section, Jesus instructs His disciples (16:24-26). Their pattern of life is to be shaped by the journey of Christ Himself. Just as Christ would take up His cross before entering glory, so that pattern must be embraced by His disciples. So, following Jesus will involve taking up the cross (16:24). Although such self denial is costly and is described by Jesus as ‘losing your life’ (16:25) the rewards are glorious. Refusing to embrace the pattern of the cross now is a recipe for disaster (16:26). Holding on to the crown now will only lead to suffering later. The cross followed by the crown is the journey which Jesus marks out both for Himself and His followers.

But, if we were to put ourselves into the sandals of Peter and the other disciples, how do we know for sure that suffering will be followed by glory? If they are being encouraged to follow the pattern of what will happen to the Lord Jesus, how do they know that this Jesus whom they have been following will end up in glory? And if they are unsure about what will happen to Jesus, how can they have confidence that their journey following Jesus will also end up in glory? These are the questions which will introduce our next study and prepare the way for the significance of the Transfiguration. 

Reflection and prayer on Matthew 16:21-28
  1. What are the most striking things we learn about Jesus’ purpose and identity in this passage?
  2. What is the normal Christian life supposed to look like according to 16:24-26?
  3. In what ways have you found the pattern of Christian discipleship to be profoundly counter-cultural?

Almighty God,
whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

(Collect for The Third Sunday of Lent)