Terms of Use

Last Updated: July 2025

Governing Jurisdiction: San Jose, California, USA

Welcome to Our Digital Sanctuary

Please read these Terms of Use carefully before accessing or utilizing the digital platforms, websites, contact portals, and virtual accompaniment services provided by Ekklesia Iwiga and Diakonia Americas (collectively referred to as "the Ministry," "we," "us," or "our").

By browsing this website, completing our intake portals, or participating in our online services, you legally agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, you are not authorized to utilize our digital services.

1. MANDATORY PASTORAL CARE & CLINICAL DISCLAIMER

The Care & Transition Center operates strictly as a specialized international pastoral unit of Ekklesia Iwiga, a registered religious non-profit headquartered in the State of California.

Declaration of Ministerial Scope

  • Pastoral and Consultative Nature: All virtual accompaniment sessions, transitional guidance, and emotional support frameworks offered through this website sit entirely within the historic, theological, and humanistic lineage of pastoral care, spiritual direction, and religious consultation.

  • Not Licensed Psychotherapy or Medicine: Our practitioners, regardless of their licensure, academic degrees, certifications, or bi-vocational backgrounds,operate on these platforms strictly in a ministerial, chaplaincy, and pastoral psychology capacity. The services provided on this site do not constitute the regulated practice of clinical psychology, licensed marriage and family therapy, clinical social work, psychiatry, or medical healthcare within your specific local jurisdiction, state, or country of residence.

  • No Clinical Medical Labeling: No clinical psychiatric diagnoses will be issued, no medical records will be established, and no clinical paperwork will be provided for insurance reimbursement.

2. EMERGENCY AND ACUTE CRISIS CARVE-OUT

This website, our email portals, and our automated WhatsApp lines are designed for scheduled, consultative pastoral care. They are not monitored continuously and are entirely unequipped to manage active, acute medical or psychiatric crises.

🛑 Immediate Life-Safety Notice

If you or a loved one are experiencing imminent thoughts of self-harm, suicide, homicide, an active domestic violence crisis, or a medical emergency, you must immediately bypass this ministry and contact your local emergency services (such as 911 in the United States, 911 in Mexico, or your nearest hospital emergency department).

3. Financial Stewardship: Fees & Donation Finality

We operate under a hybrid mutual aid model designed to fund front-line relief through our Solidarity Fund.

  • Consultative Service Fees: The standard fee for a 50-minute virtual pastoral session is $50 USD. By booking a session, you agree to fulfill payment securely online prior to the session start.

  • Mutual Aid Allocation: In alignment with our 501(c)(3) religious non-profit charter, paid services directly cross-subsidize zero-cost spots reserved for low-income immigrants, deportees, and families in acute systemic distress.

  • Donation and Fee Finality: Because financial assets are immediately deployed to cover operational overhead, shelter supplies, and mutual aid counseling spots, all donations, contributions, and session fees are strictly non-refundable.

4. Intellectual Property & Covenant Protection

The unique policy frameworks, operational guides, logos, and written materials displayed on this site, specifically including our Child Safety Policy and our Covenant of Alignment, are the explicit intellectual property of the Ministry.

  • Prohibition of Unauthorized Copying: Outside shelters, ministries, or commercial businesses are strictly prohibited from scraping, copying, replicating, or using our text blocks, branding, or policies to mimic our vetting standards without written authorization from the Director of the Western Hemisphere.

  • Misrepresentation: No entity may state or imply formal affiliation with or vetting by Diakonia Americas unless a bilateral, physical Covenant of Alignment has been executed by our compliance desk.

5. Limitation of Liability & Digital Disruptions

While we utilize enterprise-grade, encrypted platforms to host our digital sanctuary, the nature of cross-border internet connectivity carries inherent instability.

  • Service Continuity: The Ministry is not liable for dropped video calls, satellite internet disruptions along migration corridors, software bugs on third-party platforms (such as Google Meet or WhatsApp), or temporary website downtime.

  • Maximum Liability Cap: To the maximum extent permitted under California civil law, the collective liability of the Ministry for any dispute arising out of your use of this website or our virtual services shall never exceed the total dollar amount you have paid to the Ministry within the past twelve (12) months.

6. Governing Law, International Jurisdiction, and Venue

We cross physical and digital borders daily, but our legal anchor remains fixed.

  • California Home-Base Rule: These Terms of Use, your digital data interaction, and any pastoral engagement initiated through this site shall be governed by, construed, and enforced exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

  • Exclusive Venue: Any formal civil dispute, mediation, or legal action arising directly out of our services must be filed and heard exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction located within Santa Clara County, California (San Jose).

  • Compliance with Local Field Laws: While our legal venue is anchored in California, we reaffirm our operational mandate to strictly adhere to and respect all civic laws and physical safety protections active in the local jurisdictions where our clergy deploy or our volunteers serve on the ground.