Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy applies to the TCFMN mobile application and website (tcfmn.org) operated by The Telugu Christian Fellowship of Minnesota ("TCFMN", "we", "us", or "our"), located at 2100 Delaware Ave, Sunfish Lake, MN 55118. Contact: tcfminnesota@gmail.com

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following information when you register and use the app:

• Account Information: Full name, email address, phone number, WhatsApp number, date of birth, wedding anniversary.
• Profile Photo: Optionally uploaded by you.
• Push Notification Token: A device token (FCM token) used to send you push notifications.
• Notification Preferences: Your choices about which notifications you receive.
• Prayer Requests: Text content of prayer items you submit to the Prayer Wall.
• Meeting Signups: Records of events and meetings you sign up for.
• Messages: In-app messages you send in direct messages or group chats.
• Testimonies: Text testimonies you submit (public or private).
• Device Information: Platform (iOS/Android), for notification delivery purposes only.

We do not collect payment information, location data, or microphone/camera data.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your account in the church community.
• To send push notifications (meeting reminders, daily verses, announcements, prayer updates) based on your preferences.
• To display the church directory to other approved members.
• To enable in-app messaging between members.
• To display prayer requests, testimonies, and community content within the app.
• To track meeting signups for church event planning.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the app. Each has its own privacy policy:

• Google Firebase (Firestore, Authentication, Cloud Messaging) — stores your account data and delivers push notifications. Firebase Privacy
• Google Calendar API — used to display church events (read-only, no personal data sent).
• Google Drive API — used to display gallery photos and resources (read-only, no personal data sent).
• Vercel — hosts the website. Vercel Privacy
• Expo / EAS — delivers over-the-air mobile app updates.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored in Google Firebase (Firestore), which is hosted in Google's secure cloud infrastructure. Access to your data is controlled by Firebase Security Rules that restrict read/write access to authenticated, approved members only. Church administrators have additional access for community management purposes.

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, but no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure.

6. Data Retention

• Account data — retained while your account is active. Deleted when you delete your account.
• Messages — retained indefinitely unless deleted by you or an admin.
• Prayer requests — retained as long as the prayer tab is active. You may delete your own submissions at any time.
• Meeting signups — retained for church records; you may cancel signups.
• Push tokens — removed when you delete your account or uninstall the app.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data (visible in your Profile screen).
• Edit your profile information at any time.
• Delete your account — available in Settings → Delete Account. This permanently removes your account from Firebase Authentication and your personal data from our database.
• Opt out of notifications — toggle off in Settings → Notifications.
• Request data export — contact us at tcfminnesota@gmail.com.

8. Children's Privacy

The TCFMN app is intended for church members and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us to have it removed.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify members of significant changes via the app or email. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact: