Hillside Connect Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 7, 2026

Hillside Baptist Church (“Hillside,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) provides the Hillside Connect mobile application to help church visitors, members, volunteers, ministry leaders, and staff access church information and communicate with one another. This Privacy Policy explains what Hillside Connect handles, why it is used, when it may be shared, and the choices available to you.

Information we collect

Depending on how you use Hillside Connect, we may collect or process:

• Account and contact information: first and last name, email address, phone number, account identifier, account status, church role, team assignments, invitation or approval information, broad age range, guardian-permission status and method when applicable, and administrator-selected social-access settings. The app does not need an exact birth date.
• Visitor and connection information: if you submit a Visitor Card or another connection form, your name, contact information, mailing address if provided, areas of interest, requested follow-up, needs, and other information you choose to enter.
• Church communications: direct messages, official team messages, discussion posts and replies, announcements, event information, read or unread status, message blocks, and reports submitted for moderation.
• Prayer-care information: prayer-request titles and details, updates, the audience you choose, moderation status, and information used to document permission and safeguards when a request involves a minor. Prayer requests may contain health, family, or other sensitive information that you choose to provide.
• Preferences and activity: notification choices, muted teams, interactions needed to show unread items, and locally stored Bible-reading selections or position.
• Device and technical information: push-notification token, device platform, device brand or model, app identifiers, notification-delivery records, and technical information our service providers process to operate, secure, and troubleshoot the service, such as IP address and request logs.

Please do not submit information about another person unless you have permission to share it. Hillside Connect is not an emergency service. For an emergency, contact the appropriate emergency service directly.

How we use information

We use information to:

• create, approve, secure, and administer church accounts;
• provide role- and team-based access to app features;
• deliver church announcements, events, messages, discussions, prayer care, Bible-reading tools, and visitor follow-up;
• send notifications selected by the user;
• review prayer requests and reported content for privacy, safety, and appropriate church use;
• respond to questions, support requests, and requests concerning personal information;
• prevent misuse, maintain security, troubleshoot problems, and improve the app; and
• comply with legal obligations and protect the rights, safety, and integrity of Hillside, its congregation, and others.

Who can see information in the app

Access depends on the feature and the audience selected:

• Public church information may be available in Guest Mode.
• Member and team content is limited to authenticated members with the necessary role or team assignment.
• Direct messages are intended for the two participants. If a message is reported, the reported content and related details may be reviewed by authorized moderators.
• Prayer requests are reviewed by authorized prayer leadership before publication and are limited to the selected audience: church members, the Prayer Team, or pastoral care. Authorized administrators may access information when needed to moderate, secure, support, or administer the service.
• Visitor Card information is limited to authorized Hillside personnel who need it to respond or provide requested follow-up.

Information shared with an audience in the app may be seen, copied, or repeated by people in that audience. Choose the audience carefully and avoid sharing information that is unnecessary for the requested purpose.

Service providers and external services

We use service providers to operate Hillside Connect. They process information only as needed to provide their services, subject to their applicable terms and privacy practices. These services may include:

• Supabase for authentication, database hosting, real-time features, and server-side functions;
• Expo, Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, and Apple Push Notification service for app updates and push-notification delivery;
• YouVersion to provide licensed Bible translations and Scripture content;
• Google Calendar to display Hillside’s public event feed; and
• an email-delivery provider, such as Resend, if Hillside enables church-domain invitations, password setup, recovery, or other transactional email.

Hillside Connect uses privacy-conscious push messages. Private message text, prayer details, member names, team names, and database record identifiers are not intentionally included in the push payload sent through the notification provider.

The app may open Hillside or third-party websites at your direction, such as sermon, giving, contact, calendar, or YouVersion pages. Information you provide directly to those sites is governed by their own privacy policies. Hillside Connect does not currently connect to a user’s personal YouVersion account or synchronize YouVersion saves, highlights, or activity.

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, investigate abuse, protect safety, or enforce our policies. Hillside does not sell personal information or use personal information from Hillside Connect for third-party advertising.

Local storage and Bible content

Hillside Connect stores limited information on the device, including the signed-in session, selected preferences, notification-registration information, and Bible-reading position. Bible translation metadata and chapter content may be cached temporarily on the device to improve loading and restore the reading experience, subject to the applicable content-provider terms. Removing the app generally removes its local app data, but does not automatically delete information stored in Hillside’s systems.

Retention and deletion

We retain information for as long as reasonably needed to provide Hillside Connect, carry out church operations and pastoral care, maintain security and moderation records, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations. Content that is withdrawn, declined, suspended, or archived may remain in restricted records rather than being immediately erased. Retention may vary by record type and context.

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information associated with Hillside Connect by emailing kevin@hbcmcloud.org, calling (405) 964-2491, or writing to the address below. We may need to verify your identity and authority before acting. We will delete, correct, or de-identify information when reasonably possible, but may retain information when required for legal, safety, security, moderation, or legitimate church-record purposes.

Accounts are created or approved by Hillside administrators rather than through open self-registration. Contact Hillside if you want your app access disabled or your account and associated data reviewed for deletion.

Children and information about minors

Hillside controls account invitations and approval. Hillside Connect is not intended for children under 13, and accounts for users under 13 are not offered. For members ages 13 through 17, an adult administrator assigns only a broad age range, records parent or guardian permission and how it was received, and selects a social-access level. Teen accounts are hidden from the member directory, cannot receive leader or administrator roles, and remain read-only until guardian permission is verified. Before an approved teen can exchange free-form information, the app displays an online-safety reminder. Direct messaging requires a separate administrator-controlled setting and the highest approved social-access level. Parents, guardians, or Hillside administrators may ask Hillside to reduce, disable, or revoke a teen account’s social access.

Prayer requests involving any minor receive separate leadership review, audience restrictions, and guardian-permission safeguards before broader sharing. If you believe a child’s information was submitted without appropriate authorization, contact us so we can review and address it.

Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards intended to protect information. These include encrypted network connections, authenticated access, role- and team-based permissions, database row-level security, moderation controls, and restricted server-side administrative functions. No method of storage or transmission can be guaranteed completely secure.

Your choices

You may:

• use Guest Mode for available public information without a member account;
• choose the audience available for a prayer request;
• change notification categories and team-specific notification preferences;
• decline notification permission or disable notifications in device settings;
• block or report direct-message activity where the feature is available; and
• contact Hillside to request access, correction, deletion, or account assistance.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Hillside Connect, our service providers, or legal requirements change. We will post the revised policy with a new effective date. Material changes may also be communicated through the app or another appropriate channel.

Contact us

Hillside Baptist Church
333892 E 1040 Rd
McLoud, OK 74851
Email: kevin@hbcmcloud.org
Phone: (405) 964-2491