Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Contact Form: Name, email address, subject, and message
• Prayer Requests: Name, email (optional), prayer text, and public/private preference
• Volunteer Registration: Name, email, phone number, ministry interest, and message
• Seminary Application (LMS): Full name, email, phone, church name, pastor name, educational background, personal testimony, program selection, and language preference
• LMS Student Account: Login credentials, profile information, contact details, and language preference
• LMS Academic Activity: Quiz responses, assignment submissions, and course progress data

Information Collected Automatically

When you access our website, we may automatically collect:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type, version, and device information
• Pages visited, time spent, and referring URLs
• Date and time of access

Local Storage Data

Our website stores the following preferences locally on your device (not on our servers):

• Bible reader font size preference
• Cookie consent choice
• Sidebar layout preference (admin panel)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and contact form messages
• To process and manage prayer requests on our prayer wall
• To coordinate volunteer ministry opportunities
• To process seminary applications and manage student enrolment
• To deliver course content, quizzes, assignments, and grades through our LMS
• To issue academic certificates and track student progress
• To generate and manage fee invoices and record payment history
• To send course notifications and important academic updates
• To maintain academic integrity during online assessments
• To improve our website's functionality and user experience
• To maintain website security and prevent abuse
• To comply with legal obligations

We will never use your personal information for commercial advertising or sell it to marketers.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience:

• Session Cookies (PHPSESSID): Essential for login functionality, form submissions, and maintaining your session. These are set with HttpOnly, SameSite=Lax, and Secure (over HTTPS) flags for security.
• Preference Storage: We use browser localStorage to remember your Bible reader settings and cookie consent choice. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to our servers.

A cookie consent banner is displayed on your first visit. You may accept or decline non-essential cookies. Disabling cookies may affect login functionality and some features.

Service Worker & Offline Caching

Our website uses a service worker to cache static assets (stylesheets, scripts, images) for faster page loads. The service worker does not cache personal data or pages behind authentication (admin or LMS portals).

4. Third-Party Services

Our website uses the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

• Google Fonts: Loads fonts from Google servers. Google may collect usage data. Google Privacy Policy
• Cloudflare CDN (Font Awesome): Delivers icon assets. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
• YouTube (Privacy-Enhanced Mode): Sermon videos and live streams are embedded using YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com), which reduces tracking. Google Privacy Policy

5. AI-Powered Features

Our Learning Management System uses artificial intelligence services to enhance the educational experience:

• Quiz & Assignment Generation: AI may be used to generate quiz questions and assignment prompts based on course content.
• Automated Grading: AI may assist in grading quizzes and assignments, with administrator oversight.
• Study Recommendations: AI may provide personalised study plans based on your academic progress.
• Academic Integrity: AI may be used to detect potential integrity violations during assessments.

When AI features are used, your academic content (quiz answers, assignment text) may be processed by the configured AI provider (Google Gemini or OpenAI). These providers process data according to their respective privacy policies. We do not send personal identification details (name, email) to AI services — only academic content necessary for the specific function.

6. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: With trusted hosting and technology providers who assist in operating our website, subject to confidentiality agreements.
• AI Providers: Academic content (not personal data) may be processed by AI services as described above.
• Church Leadership: Prayer requests marked as public will be visible on the prayer wall. Contact form messages and volunteer applications are accessible to church administrators.
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government regulation.
• Safety: To protect the rights, property, or safety of our organisation, our members, or others.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
• Secure session management with HttpOnly and SameSite cookie flags
• CSRF token protection on all form submissions
• Parameterised database queries to prevent injection attacks
• Input validation and output escaping throughout the site
• Rate limiting on forms and API endpoints to prevent abuse
• Password hashing for all user accounts
• Restricted access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Blocked public access to data directories and configuration files

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy:

• Contact messages: Reviewed and may be deleted after the matter has been addressed.
• Prayer requests: Retained while relevant; public requests remain on the prayer wall until removed by administrators.
• Volunteer applications: Retained for coordination purposes and deleted when no longer needed.
• LMS student data: Academic records (grades, certificates, enrolment history) are retained for the duration of the student's programme and a reasonable period thereafter for transcript purposes.
• Payment records: Retained as required for accounting and legal compliance.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal and academic retention requirements.
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from our communications at any time by contacting us.
• Data Portability: Request your LMS academic data in a standard format.
• Prayer Request Removal: Request removal of your prayer request from the public prayer wall at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. Seminary enrolment and LMS access is intended for adults. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website contains links to external websites, including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and other social platforms used for sharing. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies before providing any personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, features, or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us: