Privacy Policy

1Who We Are

Lilongwe Congregation is the official mobile application of the Lilongwe Congregation. The App serves as a digital ministry tool providing church members with access to hymns, sermons/teachings, announcements, and congregation information.

2Information We Collect

2.1  Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account or use the App, we collect the following personal information:

• Full Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Mlaga (church zone / area group)
• Guild (church fellowship group)
• Church position / role
• Marital status, occupation, residential address, city, and country (optional profile fields)
• Profile photograph (optional, uploaded by you)

We also collect information you submit through other in-app features, such as:

• Feedback or contact messages submitted via the Feedback Form

2.2  Information Collected Automatically

When you use the App, certain information is collected automatically:

• Authentication tokens — JWT access and refresh tokens are generated when you log in and stored securely in the iOS Keychain on your device.
• Device push notification token (FCM token) — A unique token generated by Firebase Cloud Messaging is stored locally on your device. This token is used solely to deliver push notifications to your device.
• Sermon / teaching view counts — When you open a sermon or teaching, an anonymous view event is recorded on our backend to help us understand which content is most useful to the congregation. No personally identifiable information is transmitted with these view events.

2.3  Information Stored Locally on Your Device

The following data is stored only on your device and is not transmitted to our servers:

• Hymn favourites — The hymn numbers you have marked as favourites are saved in your device’s local storage.
• Recently viewed hymns — The last 20 hymn numbers you have viewed are saved locally.
• Hymn data cache — Hymn content is cached on your device to enable offline reading.
• Analytics preference — Your choice to share or not share anonymous analytics is stored locally.

2.4  Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect, access, or store any of the following:

• Your device contacts, photos library, camera, microphone, or location data
• Browsing history or activity outside of the App
• Precise geolocation data
• Advertising identifiers or cross-app tracking identifiers
• Payment or financial information (the App has no in-app purchases)

3How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Account Creation and Authentication

Your name, email, phone number, date of birth, gender, mlaga, and guild are used to create your church membership record and to verify your identity when you log in.

Congregation Management

Membership data is used by church administrators to manage congregation records, facilitate communication within mlaga and guild groups, and coordinate church activities.

Push Notifications

Your device’s FCM token is used exclusively to deliver push notifications about announcements, events, and other congregation updates. You may revoke notification permission at any time through your device’s Settings.

Content Personalisation

Locally stored hymn favourites and recents are used to personalise your in-app experience. This data never leaves your device.

Service Improvement

Anonymous sermon view counts help us understand which teachings are most beneficial to the congregation and guide future content planning. No personally identifiable data is attached to these events.

Communication

Your email address may be used to send you account-related messages (e.g., email verification, password reset). We will not send you unsolicited marketing emails.

Anonymous Analytics (Optional)

If you opt in within the App’s About screen, anonymous, aggregated usage data may be shared with our analytics provider to help us improve the App. Opting in or out does not affect any App functionality.

4How We Store and Protect Your Information

4.1  Data Storage Location

Your membership data is stored on secure servers hosted on Google Cloud Run in the European Union (europe-west1 region). All data transmission between the App and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS / TLS.

4.2  Authentication Security

JWT access tokens and refresh tokens are stored exclusively in the iOS Keychain — Apple’s hardware-backed secure enclave storage — and are never written to unencrypted storage, iCloud, or shared storage.

4.3  Retention Period

We retain your personal information for as long as your account remains active. If you request account deletion (see Section 7), your data will be permanently deleted from our servers within 30 days of the confirmed request. Locally stored device data (hymn favourites, cache) is erased when the App is uninstalled.

5Third-Party Services

The App uses the following third-party services. These providers may process certain information in accordance with their own privacy policies:

Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google LLC)

Used solely to deliver push notifications to your device. Firebase receives your device’s FCM token for this purpose. Firebase does not receive your name, email address, or any other personal profile information from us.
Google Privacy Policy →

Google Cloud Run (Google LLC)

Our backend API is hosted on Google Cloud Run in the EU (europe-west1). All data processed by the API passes through Google’s infrastructure. Google processes this data as a data processor under our instructions and is bound by a Data Processing Agreement.

6Your Rights

You have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Right of Access — You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification — You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data. Profile updates can be initiated through the App or by contacting a church administrator.
• Right to Erasure — You may request permanent deletion of your account and personal data (see Section 7).
• Right to Restriction — You may request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability — You may request your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to Object — You may object to processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent — Where processing is based on consent (e.g., anonymous analytics), you may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 9.

7Account Deletion

To request account deletion:

1. Open the App and navigate to More → Profile.
2. Tap “Request Profile Update” and include a note requesting account deletion, OR contact us directly at the email address in Section 9.

Upon receiving a verified deletion request we will:

• Permanently delete your membership record and all associated personal data from our servers within 30 days.
• Revoke all active authentication tokens immediately.
• Remove your FCM token from our notification system.

Please note that locally stored data (hymn favourites, cache files) on your device will be erased when you uninstall the App. We cannot remotely erase data already stored on your device.

After deletion your account cannot be recovered. If you wish to rejoin the congregation’s digital community in future, you will need to register again.

8Children’s Privacy

The App is designed for use by church members of all ages. However, children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) must have parental or guardian consent before creating an account or providing any personal information. If you believe a child has provided personal information without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately and we will promptly delete that information.

9Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal data, please contact us:

10Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal obligations. When we make material changes we will update the “Effective Date” at the top of this document and, where appropriate, notify you via the App or email. Your continued use of the App after the effective date of any updated policy constitutes your acceptance of the new terms.

11Disclaimer