Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 23, 2026

This policy explains how Stratford Heights Church of God (“we,” “us”) handles information on our website (shcog.com), in our iPhone app, and in our text-message reminders.

Our app

What the app doesn’t do

• No accounts or sign-in, no ads, no analytics or tracking tools, and no third-party SDKs.
• We don’t sell or share data for advertising, and the app does not “track” you (as Apple defines it).
• The app doesn’t access your location, contacts, camera, microphone, or photos. Directions, phone, and email links simply hand off to Apple Maps, Phone, or Mail.

Push notifications (only if you allow them)

If you allow notifications, the app sends our server your device’s Apple push token, the app’s language (English or Spanish), the platform (“ios”), and whether it’s a development or production build. We store this, with the dates we first and last saw it, only to send church notifications (service reminders, “we’re live,” events). If you turn notifications off, the app asks us to delete the token the next time you open it. We also remove tokens that Apple reports are no longer valid.

When you tap a notification, the app tells us which notification was opened (the notification’s ID only) so we can count opens. Nothing that identifies you is sent.

Live-stream viewer count

While you watch the live stream in the app, it sends our server a random ID every 30 seconds, along with the word “app,” so we can count how many people are watching. A new random ID is created each time the app starts, and it isn’t linked to you or your device.

Content, and what stays on your device

• Content (events, sermons, groups, staff, devotions) is downloaded from shcog.com and saved on your device so the app works offline.
• Stored only on your device and never sent to us: your last Bible book, chapter, and translation; which devotion days you marked as read; and saved content and images. Deleting the app removes all of it.
• Read-aloud for devotions uses Apple’s on-device speech. No audio or text is sent anywhere.

Third-party services the app uses

Each operates under its own privacy policy:

• YouTube (Google): sermon and video playback in embedded players, and video thumbnails from i.ytimg.com. YouTube may collect data under Google’s privacy policy.
• API.Bible (American Bible Society): licensed translations (NKJV, NIV, CSB). Their license requires usage reporting (“FUMS”): the app sends API.Bible a random ID created on the device (not linked to you, your name, or your device’s hardware IDs) plus which passages were displayed. Privacy notice.
• getBible (api.getbible.net): public-domain translations (KJV and others). getbible.net.
• Faith Network: the live-stream video. Privacy policy.
• Giving and some sign-up links open in your browser on those sites, whose own policies apply.

All of these, like any website, receive your device’s IP address when contacted.

Apple may share crash reports and usage statistics with us only if you opted in to sharing with app developers in iOS Settings (Apple’s privacy policy).

Our website

Forms

• Contact form: your name, email, optional subject, and message, plus the page language and your IP address. We use the IP address only to limit spam (for example, at most 5 messages per hour). Messages are stored in our system and emailed to our staff.
• Event registrations: your name, email, phone (required for some events), party size, your answers to any event questions, the options you choose (such as tickets), and how you prefer to pay (online, in person, or at the door). We never receive card details through this form. Our staff get an email notice, and if the event has it turned on, you get a confirmation email.
• Preacher form: a private link for scheduled speakers, with their name, email, and sermon details. It’s emailed to our staff.

We send email through Brevo, our email delivery service (privacy policy). Email you send us directly is handled by Microsoft 365.

Site statistics (no cookies)

We count visits with our own system—no cookies and no outside analytics service. For each page view we store: the page, the page or site you came from, the language, your device type (phone, tablet, or computer), and whether it looks like a bot. To count unique visitors per day, we store an anonymous code calculated from your IP address, browser, the date, and a secret key; it changes every day and can’t be turned back into your IP address. We don’t store your IP address in these statistics.

Live stream on the website

The live stream uses the JW Player video player (privacy policy). While you watch, your browser sends a random ID every 30 seconds so we can count how many people are watching. That ID is kept in your browser’s local storage (“shc_live_tok”) so one browser counts as one viewer, and it isn’t linked to you.

Cookies and embedded content

Our public pages don’t set cookies of their own. (Only the staff admin area uses a sign-in cookie.) Some pages include content from other services, which may use their own cookies or receive your IP address:

• YouTube (Google): sermon videos. Google’s policy.
• Google Maps: the map on our contact page. Google’s policy.
• Google Fonts: the site’s typefaces.
• JW Player: the live stream.
• Subsplash: the giving form on our Give page. Payment details go directly to Subsplash and never pass through our server. Privacy policy.

The Facebook and X share buttons are plain links (they load nothing from those companies until you tap them). Our church calendar link opens Church Center, by Planning Center (privacy policy).

Server logs and security

Like almost every website, our server logs each request: the IP address, date and time, page requested, and browser type. We use these logs for security and troubleshooting, and they’re deleted after 14 days. Our security tools may temporarily block IP addresses that probe for vulnerabilities. Sign-in attempts to our staff admin area (the username entered and the IP address) are recorded for security.

Text messages (SMS)

If you provide your mobile phone number, you consent to receive text messages from us related to church activities you are involved in — for example, reminders to submit your sermon details when you are scheduled to preach, service or event updates, and similar church communications.

• Message frequency varies and depends on your involvement.
• Message and data rates may apply, according to your mobile carrier plan.
• You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message. Reply HELP for help, or contact us using the details below.
• Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information may be shared only with the service providers that help us operate the messaging program (such as our text-messaging provider, Twilio — privacy policy), solely to deliver these messages. Text-messaging opt-in data and consent are never shared with any third parties.

How we use and share information

We use information only to respond to you, to send the communications you asked for or are involved in, to organize church activities, and to keep the site and app secure. We do not sell your information. We share it only with the providers that help us operate (our web host, Brevo for email, Twilio for text messages, and Apple for notifications), and only as much as each service needs. We may disclose information if required by law.

How long we keep information

App push tokens	Until you turn notifications off (deleted the next time you open the app) or Apple reports the token is no longer valid.
Contact messages, registrations, and preacher forms	In our system until our staff delete them; the email copies stay in staff inboxes.
Phone numbers for text messages	With the preaching schedule until our staff remove them, or until you reply STOP.
Anonymous statistics (page views, live viewers, notification opens)	Kept as statistics; they contain no names or IP addresses.
Server logs	14 days.
Database backups	30 days on our server and 60 days in an off-site backup copy.

Your choices

• App: turning off notifications or deleting the app stops all app data flow to us.
• Text messages: reply STOP to any message.
• Your information: contact us (below) to ask what we hold about you or to have it deleted.

Children

Our app and website are for a general church audience. The app has no accounts and collects no personal information from anyone, including children under 13. Website forms and registrations should be filled out by an adult (a parent or guardian for children’s events); we don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without a parent or guardian’s involvement.

Security

Our site uses encrypted connections (HTTPS), and we take reasonable steps to protect information. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to safeguard what you share with us.

Changes to this policy

If our practices change, we’ll update this page and the effective date above.

Contact us

For questions, or to ask us to delete your information:

Stratford Heights Church of God
4419 Nelson Rd.
Middletown, OH 45042
Phone: 513-423-0797
Contact form