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Terms of Use

Effective date: Edited August 26, 2024

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY. They describe the legally binding terms and conditions for your use of our online and digital properties. If you do not agree to be bound by these terms, you may choose not to access or use our Sites.

Please note these terms are subject, except in limited cases, to binding arbitration and a waiver of class action rights as further detailed below.

United Methodist Communications provides leadership for The United Methodist Church in communication, public relations and promotion of the general funds and worldwide programs of the denomination. These terms describe important information regarding your rights and rules for your use of our website ResourceUMC.org and our other websites, micro-sites, social media platforms, and other online and digital properties, content, products, services, software, and applications (the “Sites”). By browsing, accessing, or using our Sites, you agree to these terms. In the event of any inconsistencies between the English version of these terms and any version of these terms in any other language, the English version will control.

Your agreement with us

You represent that you are at least age 18 and have the power and authority to agree to these terms. These terms create a legally binding agreement between you and us and describe the rules for your use of our Sites. By browsing, accessing, linking, streaming, viewing, using, or downloading information from the Sites, you agree to these terms. If you are using the Sites on behalf of another person, you represent that you are authorized to accept these terms on that person's behalf. Additional specific terms or agreements may apply to certain sites, products, or services, or specific areas or features of our Sites, such as contests, events, or promotions. If such terms or agreements conflict with these Terms of Use, the specific terms or agreements will prevail. We may change products or services offered on our Sites, including changes to prices, at any time.

Modification of our terms

To accommodate new services and features on our Sites and to ensure up-to-date compliance with applicable laws, we may modify our terms from time to time. When we modify our terms, we will notify you by posting on our Sites. You must discontinue using our Sites if you disagree with the modifications. Any changes will become effective as of the date of posting. We urge you to review these terms often so you are always fully informed.

Use by children

Most of our Sites are not intended to be used by or designed to attract children under the age of 13 and may be used by children between ages 13 and 18 and/or are not legally capable of consenting to this Agreement. User must ask a legal guardian to review and agree to this Agreement, so User can use a United Methodist Communications site or complete the registration and purchase of provided training, products, or services on the User's behalf. If any of our Sites intend to be used by or are designed to attract children, they will include additional information regarding the applicable policies and practices for that site regarding children. If you are the parent or legal guardian and consent to your minor child's access to and use of our Sites, you agree to be bound by these terms on behalf of yourself and your child.

Accounts

You may have the opportunity on our Sites to create a user account to participate in certain features of the site. If you create an account, you are responsible for maintaining your profile and using the settings available to protect the confidentiality of your profile username, password, and all other personal information. You are responsible for all uses of your account, whether or not you have authorized them. You agree to provide, maintain, and update true, accurate, current, and complete information about yourself in the registration process. You may not impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or entity, including using another person's username, password, or other account information or another person's name, likeness, voice, image, or photograph. You agree to promptly notify us of unauthorized use of your username, password, other account information, or any other breach of security that you suspect or become aware of involving or relating to the Sites. You also agree to exit your user account at the end of each session. Some of our Sites may offer you the opportunity to register or log in using social media or other third-party services. We do not control such services and are not responsible for them. We fully disclaim all liability associated with them.

Your content

You may have the opportunity to post or upload or have someone else post or upload, on your behalf, content to our Sites, the content we will call “Your Content” in these terms. Your Content may include, for example, text, music, photos, videos, sounds, lyrics, messages, illustrations, files, images, graphics, comments, information, and other materials. You represent that Your Content is true and accurate and does not infringe the rights of any other person or entity or violate any laws and that you own or control all rights to the content necessary to post or upload it. To the extent the law allows, we reserve the right to reveal your identity or any other information we know about you if a complaint or legal action arises from Your Content. By posting or uploading Your Content to our Sites, you are granting us an irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use Your Content in connection with the Sites. If you become aware that your posted or uploaded Content includes any material for which you lack the unrestricted right to grant us the rights set forth above, you agree to promptly notify us. You have no right to maintain or access Your Content on our Sites, and we have no obligation to return Your Content or otherwise make it available to you except as described in our Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the timeliness, deletion, misdelivery, or failure to store any of Your Content or personalization settings. We may freely use any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide to us, and you grant us a perpetual, worldwide, transferable, sublicensable, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use such feedback in any way.

Posting agents

A posting agent is a third-party agent, service, or intermediary that offers to post content on behalf of others. To moderate demands on our resources, you may not use a posting agent to post content on our Sites without our written consent. Posting agents may not post content on behalf of others or access our Sites to facilitate posting content on behalf of others without our written consent.

Paid postings

We may charge a fee for you to post content in some areas of our Sites. The fee is an access fee permitting content to be posted in a designated area. You are responsible for the content you post and compliance with these terms. All fees paid are non-refundable in the event content is removed from our Sites for violation of the terms.

Third-party content

Our Sites may include content posted or uploaded by not only you but also other users of our Sites, content we will call “User Content” in these terms. Unless our Sites make clear otherwise, we do not claim ownership of User Content, and it does not necessarily express our views. Because it is not content we have posted or uploaded, we are not responsible for User Content and cannot verify its accuracy, timeliness, completeness, or usefulness. We have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, edit, or delete User Content. Your use or reliance on User Content is at your own risk, and we are not responsible for it. We do not collect your information, including your mobile phone number, and provide it to a third party for processing. Your information will not be sold or shared with third parties for promotional or marketing purposes.

Public forums and interactive communications

Some of our Sites offer public forums and other interactive communications. Please be aware that these features are public or may be subject to public access. Please use respect when you interact with others through our Sites. You are responsible for the content you post, the consequences of posting the content, and your interactions with third parties through our Sites. Such dealings are solely between you and such third parties. We urge you to be cautious about these interactions. Your use or reliance on such content is at your own risk, and we are not responsible for it. We reserve the right to remove without notice any posting or communication for any reason, but we have no obligation to delete content that you may find objectionable or offensive. Information and opinions expressed in public forums or other interactive communications by others are not necessarily ours.

User-posted events

Our Sites may allow users to post events, meet-up opportunities, and other local happenings taking place outside of the Sites. We do not supervise or control these events and are not involved in any way in the transportation to or actions or events that take place during any such event. Likewise, we are not responsible for any transactions, ticketing, payments, or fees required or requested in connection with such events. We do not warrant or represent that the listings of events posted on the Sites by users are accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. We encourage you to exercise caution in attending any such event. You attend such events at your own risk, and we are not responsible for any loss, injury, or damage incurred as a result of your attendance at any such event.

Rules of conduct

You must comply with all applicable laws in using our Sites, and it is your responsibility to know and understand the law. You may not upload, post, embed, link to, email, transmit, or otherwise make available through our Sites any material or content that:

  • Is unlawful or objectionable: is unlawful, false, threatening, harmful, intimidating, abusive, defamatory, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, obscene, profane, pornographic, sexually explicit, lewd, filthy, excessively violent, hateful, harassing or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable within our sole discretion.
  • Encourages unlawful conduct: encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation.
  • Infringes others' rights: violates or infringes the rights of others, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, publicity, privacy, moral right, or other intellectual property, personal, contractual, or proprietary right.
  • Violates laws related to minors designed to protect minors.
  • Impersonates others or falsely states or otherwise misrepresents your affiliation with another person or entity.
  • Solicits — advertisements, product or service offerings, promotional material, chain letters, junk mail, pyramid schemes, or spam.
  • Discloses others' personal information without consent — phone numbers, social security numbers, account numbers, addresses, or employer references.
  • Discloses minors' personal information or images/video of a child under age 18 without parent/guardian consent.
  • Is harmful: contains a formula, instruction, or advice that could cause harm or injury.
  • Allows unlawful copying of any content available or displayed on the Sites.
  • Obligates us: would result in our having any obligation or liability to another.
  • You have no right to disclose, such as inside information or proprietary information learned or disclosed as part of an employment relationship or under a confidentiality agreement.

You may not: break the law; spread viruses or similar malicious code; wrongfully collect personal data about other users; use automated means (spiders, robots, crawlers, data mining tools) to download data without our consent; disrupt the normal flow of dialogue; interfere with or disrupt our Sites, servers, or networks; or forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers to disguise the origin of any content transmitted through our Sites.

Ownership of our Sites and content · Intellectual property

Unless otherwise noted, all content included or available on our Sites and the underlying software and technology is subject to intellectual property rights, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, international treaties, and other proprietary rights held or licensed by us or our respective licensors, and we reserve all rights in such property. This includes site design, text, photos, video, audio, music, graphics, the “look and feel,” trade dress, trademarks, and service marks. We prohibit any use of the content on our Sites and the underlying software and technology, including reproduction for purposes other than those expressly allowed in this Policy, modification, distribution, any form of data extraction or data mining, or other commercial exploitation or public purpose of any kind, without our prior written permission or, in the case of third-party property, permission from its respective owner. Except for the limited use rights granted to you below, you will not acquire any right, title, or interest in our Sites or any portions of them. User agrees that the failure to abide by this provision would cause irreparable harm that is impossible to quantify.

Trademarks

The marks The United Methodist Church™, United Methodist Communications® and the logos incorporating them, and many of the other names, marks, and logos on the Sites are trademarks and service marks of The United Methodist Church, United Methodist Communications, or our licensors. You may not use these marks without permission of the owner. All goodwill generated from the use of our marks will inure to our exclusive benefit. Our Sites may use third-party trademarks and logos to identify third parties and resources. Our use of these marks does not imply affiliation with or endorsement of the third party. These marks are the property of their respective owners.

Limited use rights

Subject to these terms, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited right to access, use and view our Sites and their content solely for your own personal use, provided that you may not, nor may you allow others to, directly or indirectly sell, license, rent, reproduce, modify or attempt to modify, or create derivative works from the site content in any way or reproduce or publicly display, perform, transmit or distribute or otherwise use the site content for any public or commercial purpose. This includes, for example, the use of the site content on any other website or in any environment of networked computers or the transfer of the site content to any other person without our prior written explicit consent. All intellectual property rights are expressly reserved. You may not systematically retrieve data or other site content from our Sites to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without our prior written consent.

Linking and framing

We do not allow “framing” of our Sites or linking to our Sites in a way that displays the pages in a frame of the linking site's template or that otherwise incorporates our content into your site; the linked site should open in a new web browser window. You may use text links to link to the content on our Sites under the following guidelines:

  • You must provide factually correct information and uphold high ethical and moral standards in developing and presenting information.
  • You may not suggest endorsement by or affiliation with us or endorsement of one product or service over another.
  • You may not present false information about us or our products or services.
  • You may not use our logos, trademarks, or service marks.
  • You may not use any content from our Sites without our prior written permission.
  • We will have no responsibility for any content on your site, and you agree to indemnify us against all claims arising out of or based on your site.
  • We may withdraw permission for any link at any time.

Reporting intellectual property claims

If you have a claim that your copyrighted work, trademark, or other intellectual property has been infringed or your rights to your intellectual property violated, you may notify our agent at:

United Methodist Communications
Attn: Privacy
810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203

Your notification must include a physical or electronic signature; identification of the work claimed to have been infringed; identification of the allegedly infringing material sufficient for us to locate it; your contact information; a good-faith statement that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and a statement under penalty of perjury that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Inquiries that do not follow this procedure may not receive a response. Upon receiving a claim of infringement, we may, at our discretion, remove or disable the material claimed to be infringing.

Please be advised that if you materially misrepresent that material is infringing your intellectual property, you may be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees).

Repeat infringer policy

We will, in appropriate circumstances, terminate your access to our Sites if you repeatedly violate this policy or infringe the intellectual property rights of others on our Sites. We may also limit your access to our Sites or terminate your account if you infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not repeatedly.

External links and features

Our Sites may include links to other websites or allow you to use certain features and plug-ins that integrate external social media sites and other third-party features and tools. These terms do not apply to any external linked sites, and we have no control over and cannot be responsible for the practices or the contents of such external sites or their availability. We do not endorse and are not responsible for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from external sources or your reliance on them. Your use of these external sites and features is at your own risk. If you have a dispute with any other user of our Sites or any third party, you agree that the dispute is between you and the third party, and we are under no obligation to become involved.

Our right to terminate, limit and deny access

We may, for any or no reason and at our discretion, modify, disable, or discontinue the operation of our Sites or your access to our Sites without notice and without liability to you or any other party. Reasons for termination may include the provision of false or misleading registration information, interference with other users or the administration of our services, or violation of these terms or any of our other policies or agreements. Upon denial of access, you agree not to attempt to access our Sites. Termination will not limit any of our other rights or remedies. We also may limit your use of the Sites, including limits on the amount of content you upload or the number of posts you make and your frequency of access.

Privacy Policy and security

We respect your privacy and will handle your personal information pursuant to our Privacy Policy. By using our Sites, you consent to the collection and use of personal information submitted by you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You acknowledge that the transmission of information by the Internet is never completely secure. Except as otherwise stated in our Privacy Policy, we do not guarantee the security of any information transmitted to or from our Sites, including to or from any external sites linked to our Sites, and submission of any information to our Sites or to any external sites linked to our Sites is your risk and responsibility.

Third-party suppliers

Our Sites may use software or services provided by third parties. We provide those products and services to you with permission of the suppliers on their terms, and subject to our own terms set forth here. Without limiting these terms, we expressly disclaim any warranty or other assurance to you regarding these third-party products and services.

Service interruptions

We will do our best to provide uninterrupted service to our Sites, but we do not guarantee continuous and uninterrupted access to our Sites, and the operation of our Sites may be affected by circumstances outside of our control. You are responsible for providing or obtaining Internet access and any hardware or software necessary to connect to the Internet or use our Sites.

Spam filters & email notices

United Methodist Communications cannot be responsible for your spam filters blocking your confirmation email. It is the responsibility of the user to ensure the email account associated with your registration will allow mail from resourceumc.org, umc.org, and umnews.org.

Mobile access

Your access to or use of our Sites through a mobile device will require wireless service and may require software. Certain of our Sites and services may offer text-messaging capability. You are responsible for these requirements, all applicable charges and fees incurred from them, and the terms of your agreements with your mobile service and telecommunications providers. Not all of our Sites may work with or be permitted by your device or network provider. We are not responsible for the unavailability or delays in wireless, text-messaging, or telecommunications services or any loss, damage, security breach, or disclosure of your information to third parties from the use of such services. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Not professional advice

The content on our Sites is provided for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as advice. The content is not intended to, and does not, constitute spiritual, legal, medical, financial, or professional advice and may not be used for such purposes.

Disclaimer of warranties

You understand and agree that use of our Sites is at your sole risk. Any material or data downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of our Sites is at your own discretion and risk, and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of such material or data. Our Sites are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, regarding the use or the results of our Sites in terms of correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise. We are not liable for any interruptions, errors, computer viruses, or other harmful components in the use of our Sites. We disclaim all express or implied warranties with regard to our Sites and the information provided, including the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, title, freedom from defects, uninterrupted use, and all warranties implied from any course of dealing or usage of trade.

Limitations of liability

In no event will we or any of our parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, members, officers, directors, employees, consultants, agents, representatives, or service providers be liable to you or any third party for any damages of any kind, including direct, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, exemplary or punitive damages, or damages for lost profits, loss of revenue, or loss of use, arising out of or related to any use of our Sites or the information contained on our Sites, the inability to use our Sites, the use of or the inability to use our services, or any goods or services purchased or obtained or messages received or transactions entered into through our Sites. In no event will our total liability to you for all damages, losses, or causes of action exceed the greater of the total fees paid by you for the services giving rise to the cause of action or one hundred dollars ($100.00). Some jurisdictions do not allow for the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages. In those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

Waiver of California Civil Code Section 1542 and similar laws

By using our Sites, you waive any rights you may have with respect to California Civil Code Section 1542, which says “A general release does not extend to claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time of executing the release, which, if known by him must have materially affected his settlement with the debtor,” and any similar law of any other jurisdiction.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold us and our parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, members, officers, directors, employees, consultants, agents, representatives, and service providers harmless from any claim, demand, liability, loss, damages, or cause of action, including attorneys' fees and costs arising out of or relating to (i) your participation in any training, services, or products provided by United Methodist Communications, including any data or content transmitted or received by you; (ii) your violation of any terms of this agreement; (iii) your violation of any third party, including intellectual property rights of third parties; (iv) your violation of any applicable law, rule or regulation; (v) any false, misleading, or inaccurate information submission by you or your account; or (vi) negligent or willful misconduct. We have the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and you will not, in any event, settle any such matter without our written consent.

Governing law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee, United States of America, without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of laws of such state, and are binding on you in the United States and worldwide. Except as otherwise stated in these terms, we make no representation that our Sites are appropriate, legal or available for use in other locations. Except for disputes subject to arbitration as stated below, the state and federal courts of Davidson County, Tennessee, shall be the exclusive forum and venue to resolve disputes arising out of or relating to these terms or the use of or visit to our Sites.

Arbitration and class action waiver

To the fullest extent of the law, and except with respect to seeking equitable remedies, all claims and disputes arising under or related to these terms, including the question of arbitrability, that cannot be resolved in small-claims court must be submitted to binding arbitration, and you and we waive any right to bring such claims before a court of law. You and we must give the other at least 60 days' notice before initiating arbitration. The dispute will be submitted for binding arbitration to a single arbitrator competent in any issues involved in the dispute. Unless otherwise mutually agreed, the seat of the arbitration will be in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America, and the arbitration will be conducted in the English language.

You and we agree that we may bring claims against each other only on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action or proceeding. This section will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1–16.

Depending on the circumstances, the provisions above may not apply to UK or EU-based consumers, who may have the right to make a claim in the courts of the country where they reside or through the European Online Dispute Resolution Platform.

International use and export controls

Our Sites are operated from the United States of America. We do not represent that our Sites are appropriate or available for use in all jurisdictions, and not all of our products or services discussed on our Sites are available in all jurisdictions or appropriate or available for use outside the United States. We prohibit accessing content from within jurisdictions where such content is illegal. If you choose to access our Sites from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are solely responsible for complying with applicable local laws, including applicable laws regarding the transmission of data exported from the United States or the country in which you reside. Certain software and services offered on or through our Sites may be subject to United States export controls and economic sanctions laws.

Other terms

These terms will inure to the benefit of our successors, assigns and licensees. If any provisions of these terms are unlawful, void, or unenforceable for any reason, the other provisions will not be affected and will remain valid and enforceable to the maximum possible extent. These terms will apply in addition to, and will not be superseded by, any other written agreement between you and us in relation to any of our Sites, products, or services. Nothing in these terms will be deemed to constitute you or us as the agent or representative of the other or as partners or joint ventures. Our failure to insist on or enforce strict performance of any provision of these terms will not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right. Our Privacy Policy, Cookies Policy, and Copyright/Intellectual Property Policy are binding parts of our terms, and together with these terms constitute the entire agreement between you and us with respect to your use of our Sites. Any cause of action you may have with respect to your use of our Sites, or that is the subject of these terms, must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises.

How to contact us

If you have any questions regarding these terms, or to report violations of these terms, please contact us at:

United Methodist Communications
Attn: Privacy
810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203

Mirrored from umc.org/en/content/united-methodist-church-global-terms-of-service. The full document — including the Terms of Sale and Donation, Apple-enabled applications terms, and additional appendices — is available at the source. Contact United Methodist Communications for questions.