Below are the eight sections of our WPAUMC website "Terms of Service Agreement" page.
Welcome to WPAUMC.org, the official website of The Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. WPAUMC.org is operated by The Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference (The WPA Conference). WPAUMC.org is designed to provide resources and connections to anyone interested or involved in supporting the mission and ministries of The WPA Conference, for the sole purpose of supporting the mission and ministries of The WPA Conference, United Methodist churches and United Methodist agencies. When using WPAUMC.org, you agree to the terms and conditions listed in this document (the "Terms of Service Agreement"), which may be updated by us from time to time.
WPAUMC.org may provide links to other World Wide Web sites or resources. Because WPAUMC.org has no control over such sites and resources, you acknowledge and agree that The WPA Conference is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, does not endorse them, makes no representations regarding them, and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. You further acknowledge and agree that The WPA Conference shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods, services, or ministries available on or through any such site or resource.
You may not: (1) modify WPAUMC.org, (2) publish, display, disclose, rent, lease, modify, loan, distribute, or create derivative works based on WPAUMC.org or its documentation or any part thereof without the express written permission of The WPA Conference, (3) remove, obliterate, or cancel from view any copyright, trademark, confidentiality or other proprietary notice, mark or legend appearing on WPAUMC.org, (4) reverse engineer, decompile, translate, adapt or dissemble WPAUMC.org, nor shall you attempt to create the source code from the object code for WPAUMC.org without the express written permission of The WPA Conference, or (5) assign the license granted by The WPA Conference to use WPAUMC.org.
Certain features of WPAUMC.org may require you to register personal information and/or obtain a user name and password from WPAUMC.org You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account information and/or password. You are responsible for all uses of your account, whether or not actually or expressly authorized by you.
The WPA Conference grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use WPAUMC.org in accordance with this Terms of Service Agreement. WPAUMC.org and any associated documentation are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of The WPA Conference .
To enable The WPA Conference to protect WPAUMC.org users and to respond to user needs and complaints you consent to The WPA Conference staff being able to access your account and records on a case-by-case basis to investigate complaints, comments or allegations of abuse. The WPA Conference shall not disclose the existence or occurrence of such an investigation unless required by law or as is necessary to protect the interests of The WPA Conference..
All interactive communications (email, chat, discussion boards, etc.), even though intended for a private audience, are subject to public access.
Comments submitted for news and blogs are moderated. Comments that include profanity or other inappropriate language, or that personally attack other readers, will not be posted. Authors whose comments are consistently unacceptable will be blocked from the site.
Information and opinions expressed in bulletin boards or other interactive communications are not necessarily those of The WPA Conference. Users alone are responsible for the contents of the messages they communicate when using our services as well as the consequences of any such messages.
However, you agree not to use WPAUMC.org to:
The WPA Conference does not condone copyright infringement and will not tolerate such infringement by WPAUMC.org users. Accordingly, The WPA Conference may, in appropriate circumstances and at its discretion, disable access and/or terminate access by users who may be infringing on the intellectual property rights of others.
We may modify or discontinue service or your access to the website, with or without notice. We reserve the right to terminate your account if we learn that you have provided us with false or misleading registration information, have changed or attempted to change website content which you are not authorized to modify, have interfered with other users or the administration of The WPA Conference’s services, or violated these Terms of Service.
You understand and agree that WPAUMC.org services are provided AS-IS. The WPA Conference assumes no responsibility for the timeliness, deletion, mis-delivery or failure to store any user communications or personalization settings.
YOU UNDERSTAND AND EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THE WPA CONFERENCE’S SERVICES ARE AT YOUR SOLE RISK, THAT ANY MATERIAL AND/OR DATA DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE WPA CONFERENCE’S SERVICES IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK AND THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OF SUCH MATERIAL AND/OR DATA.
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH ON OUR SITES, THE WPA CONFERENCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT AND IT MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION REGARDING THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE WPA CONFERENCE’S SERVICES, REGARDING THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH THE WPA CONFERENCE’S SERVICES OR THAT THE WPA CONFRENCES’S SERVICES WILL MEET ANY USER’S REQUIREMENTS, BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE OR ERROR FREE.
THE WPA CONFERENCE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM THE USE OF OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE WPA CONFERENCE’S SERVICES, RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED OR TRANSACTION ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE WPA CONFERENCE’S SERVICES, RESULTING FROM LOSS OF, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF A USER’S TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA OR FOR THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLES, EVEN IF THE WPA CONFERENCE HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless The WPA Conference, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, consultants and agents from any and all claims, liability, damages and/or costs (including, but not limited to, attorneys fees) arising from your use of WPAUMC.org and any information derived from WPAUMC.org, your violation of the Terms of Service or your infringement, or infringement by any other user of your account, of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity. The Terms of Service will inure to the benefit of The WPA Conference’s successors, assigns and licensees.
These Terms of Service will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Any action brought to enforce this agreement or matters related to the site shall be brought in either the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County, Pennsylvania or ,if jurisdiction exists, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision or portion of the Terms of Service to be unenforceable, the remainder to the Terms of Service will continue in full force and effect.
These Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and replace all prior or contemporaneous understandings or agreements, written or oral, regarding such subject matter. Any waiver of any provision of the Terms of Service will be effective only if in writing and signed by The WPA Conference.
The WPA Conference rules state: We will not share personal information with any outside group. However, where appropriate it will be shared with United Methodist agencies and organizations. Individual’s personal (but not private) information and contact information will be printed in the Official Journal and therefore is accessible similar to a public forum. Personal/Contact Information may include: First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Maiden Name, Spouse’s Name, Annual Conference Committees, Annual Conference Attendance, References in Annual Conference Minutes, Street Address, Mailing Address, E-mail Address, Telephone Number, Racial Identification, Ethnic Identification, Local Church Identification, Clergy Birth Date, Clergy Conference Relations, Clergy Academic Records, Clergy Appointment Records, Clergy Salaries, Clergy Benefits, Memoirs, and any other reports required by the Annual Conference. Laity may contact the Conference Secretary by July 1 each year to request removal of specific items from the Official Journal or other official conference public forums like the web page. Removal from the public forum may also necessitate removal from the conference database and inhibit communication of information to the individual.
Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, disseminate, sell, distribute, publish, broadcast or circulate the information received through WPAUMC.org to anyone, including, but not limited to, others in the same organization, without the express prior written consent of The WPA Conference.
Not withstanding the foregoing, WPAUMC.org is a resource provided by the WPA Conference to assist in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. As such, the resources and materials on WPAUMC.org are available for use in and copying in limited quantities by United Methodist churches, agencies, and organizations, and affiliates.
Permissions and restrictions regarding the use of the United Methodist insignia are found on the General Council on Finance and Administration website.
What type of information does The Western Pennsylvania Conference collect?
We collect two types of information about visitors: personal information (collected when you sign up for email updates, which includes personal details such as name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, church name) which you have voluntarily submitted to us; and aggregate information (such as information about how many visitors log on to our sites, the pages they access, etc.).
You can visit our Web site without telling us who you are or revealing personal information about yourself, in which case you may, however, be unable to participate in certain promotions or receive product information. We collect, maintain and use personal information you have voluntarily submitted to contact you, including via email, to respond to your comments or requests for information.
How Do We Use Your Information?
We use your information in a number of ways, including the following:
Please report any violations of the Terms of Service to WPAUMC
Deposits
If an event has a deposit that is stated as non-refundable, then registrants who cancel will automatically forfeit that deposit.
Payment/Cancellation
Full payment is expected from all registrants prior to two weeks preceding the starting date of the event. We reserve the right to cancel the registration of any registrant who does not submit full payment prior to two weeks preceding the starting date of the event.
Registrants will be notified prior to the event of any cancellation due to non-payment. If the event has a deposit that is stated as non-refundable, then registrants who are cancelled will automatically forfeit that deposit. Registrants must initiate contact with the event coordinator to discuss any payment issues.
Refunds/Substitutions
Refunds will be granted to registrants for any cancellations that are made prior to two weeks preceding the event, minus a $3 processing fee per registrant.
If cancellations are made within the two weeks preceding an event, no refund will be granted.
Registrants are welcomed and encouraged to find another individual to “take the place of” the individual who cancelled. Registrants must initiate contact with the event coordinator to inform them of any such substitutions
Transfer Requests
Registrants may request the transfer of their registration toward a similar event occurring on another future date within a six month time period.
All transfer requests must be received no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled start date of the event. Additional costs may be required to attend an event with a higher cost. Registrants must initiate contact with the event coordinator to discuss any such transfers.
Extenuating Circumstances
If a registrant cancels within the two weeks preceding an event due to extenuating circumstances, a full refund will be granted upon review of the situation. In most cases, “extenuating circumstance” is defined as a death in the family, serious illness, etc. Registrants must initiate contact with the event coordinator to inform them of any extenuating circumstances.
Event Cancellation
We reserve the right to cancel an event. If this happens, registrants will be notified prior to the event and full refunds will be issued in the same manner payment was made. If applicable, registrants will be provided the option to transfer their registration to another future event.