Privacy Policy

HoM collects only what it needs to welcome you on Saturdays, run its website and app, and stay in touch the way you choose. We never sell your information or use it for advertising.

Who we are

The Hour of Meditation ("HoM", "we") is a guided meditation gathering held every Saturday at 9 AM, in Edmonton and online. HoM is an initiative of Cornerstone Christian Church of God, which is responsible for the information described here.

This policy covers:

• our website, hourofmeditation.com

• the HoM app for iPhone and Android, and the HoM Key you can add to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet

• checking in at the door on Saturdays

• HoM on social media: Dr. Adewusi's YouTube channel and Instagram account, and HoM's TikTok

• Community Conversations, where we ask adults about their experience of HoM

When you use any of these or give us information, you agree to us handling it as this policy describes. You can withdraw that agreement at any time (see Your choices). Some things can't work without certain information, though: the app needs an account.

Some of what we hold, like the Saturdays you attend, can say something about your faith. We treat it with care.

Questions go to our Privacy Officer, Gift Okwa, at hello@hourofmeditation.com. Our full contact details are at the end of this policy.

What we collect

What we collect depends on how you take part. It's what you give us, what happens when you check in, and a little technical information from your device.

In the app

You need an account to use the app. Only your email address and first name are required.

Here's what the app keeps, and why:

• Your account. Your email address and first name. If you add them: your last name, birthday, and whether you join in the room or online. We use them to sign you in, greet you by name and show your details in Personal Info. How you join sets your reminders and home screen. Your birthday is used only for a note from HoM on the day, scheduled on your phone.

• Sign in with Apple. The ID Apple gives you for HoM, the email Apple shares (it can be a private relay address), your name the first time you sign in, and a token from Apple. We use them to sign you in, and to disconnect HoM from your Apple ID when you delete your account.

• Sign in with Google. The ID Google gives you for HoM, and the email address, name and profile picture your Google account shares. We use them to sign you in and to start your account with your name. We don’t use your picture.

• Your HoM Key and Saturdays. Your key code. For each Saturday you check in: the date and time, in the room or online, and how (a scan, by name, added at the door, or online). We use them to show your key and your Saturdays kept, and to count attendance.

• At the door. Which host checked each person in. For a first-timer without the app, a host adds a first name, and a last name and email address if they give them. We use this to welcome people and count first-timers. If a first-timer later signs up with the same email, their earlier Saturdays join their account.

• Apple Wallet. If you add your key: an identifier Apple gives your phone's Wallet, and a code for sending your key updates. We use them to keep your key up to date, and to stop updating a key you've reissued.

• Google Wallet. When you tap Add to Google Wallet, we send Google your name, key code, Saturdays kept and the month you joined, so your key shows in Google Wallet. We keep it up to date until you reissue your key or delete your account.

• Notifications. When you allow notifications (for notes from HoM or for reminders): a push token, which is a code for delivering notifications to your phone, and whether it's an iPhone or Android phone. We use it to send notes from HoM, like news of a new session or a change to Saturday's plans. Reminders are scheduled on your phone itself.

• Sign-in and technical logs. Each phone you sign in on keeps the IP address and app details it used. Our providers also keep short records of requests: an IP address, the time, and what was asked for, such as which recording played. We use these to keep you signed in, and to keep the service secure and working.

What stays on your phone. Your listening progress and history, downloads, saved sessions, reminders and settings stay on your phone. We don't see them.

What the app never collects. Your phone number, location, contacts, photos or microphone. Hosts use the camera only to scan HoM Keys at the door, and no picture is kept. The app has no ads or third-party trackers and takes no payments: giving happens through our website.

On Saturdays

Every Saturday streams live on YouTube and is recorded for the Library in our app. If you're in the room, you may be seen or heard in the stream and the recording.

On our website

Our website runs on Squarespace. Depending on what you do there, we collect:

• Forms you fill in. To share a testimony: your name, email, phone number and story. Testimonies may be shared in our sessions and on our channels, so only send what you're happy for others to hear. Some event pages ask for your name and email, for example to enter a draw for Dr. Adewusi's book. Squarespace checks forms for spam with Google's reCAPTCHA.

• New Life in Christ form. The form on our Salvation page asks for your name, email, phone, address and a few questions about your decision and your church. It belongs to Cornerstone and goes to Cornerstone's church team.

• Messages. When you email us, including prayer requests: your address and what you write.

• Mail. If you ask us to send you something: your mailing address.

• Gifts. You can give by Interac e-Transfer, through PayPal from outside Canada, in person, or by bank transfer. Gifts go to Cornerstone, which sees your name, the amount, any note, and the account, email or phone the gift came from. We never see your card details.

• Cookies and analytics. Squarespace and Google Analytics use cookies to show us how the site is used: pages visited, your device and browser, and a general location worked out from your IP address. YouTube videos on our pages may set YouTube's own cookies when you play them.

On social media

When you follow, comment on or message HoM on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok, we see what the platform shows us, such as your profile name and what you wrote. We use it to reply and to learn what helps people. Each platform's own policy covers what it collects.

In Community Conversations

We sometimes invite adults (18 and over) to Community Conversations, where we ask about their experience of HoM and their community. Taking part is voluntary: you can skip any question or stop at any time.

We keep your answers and our notes, and a recording if the conversation is recorded. We'll tell you at the start if it is.

We use what we learn for research and planning, to improve HoM and serve the community, and in our communications. We share findings in summary form, and never name you without your separate permission.

How we use it

We use your information only to run HoM and to stay in touch the way you choose:

• Sign you in, and keep your account and HoM Key the same on any phone.

• Welcome you at the door, check you in, and show your Saturdays kept.

• Keep your key in Wallet up to date.

• Send notes from HoM to phones that allow notifications.

• Count attendance (in the room, online and first-timers) to plan Saturdays.

• Reply to your messages and forms, pray for your requests, and follow up with new believers.

• Share testimonies sent through our website, in our sessions and on our channels.

• Thank you for your gifts, and keep the records the law requires.

• See how our website is used, so we can improve it.

• Learn from Community Conversations, as described above.

We don't sell or rent your information, or use it for advertising.

Who sees it and who we share it with

Inside HoM, people see only what their role needs:

• Hosts at the door can look anyone up by name. They see the person's full name, whether it's their first Saturday, and when they checked in that day.

• Admins, who choose the hosts, can look members up by name or email. They see each member's email, role and the date they joined.

• A few staff who look after our systems can see everything we hold. They use that access only to run and fix the service.

• Cornerstone's church team sees New Life in Christ forms and records of gifts.

Outside HoM, we share information only with the companies that run parts of HoM for us, and only what each one needs:

• Supabase keeps the app's database and signs you in. Canada; some requests are handled in other countries.

• Resend emails your 6-digit sign-in code. United States.

• Cloudflare stores and streams the session recordings. Worldwide network.

• Expo passes HoM's notes on to Apple and Google for delivery. United States.

• Squarespace hosts our website and its forms. United States.

• Breeze holds Cornerstone's New Life in Christ forms. United States.

• Apple runs Sign in with Apple and Apple Wallet, and delivers notes to iPhones. Worldwide.

• Google runs Sign in with Google, our email, Google Analytics and reCAPTCHA on our website, and Google Wallet, and delivers notes to Android phones. Worldwide.

• PayPal handles gifts from outside Canada. Worldwide.

Each of these companies must protect your information at least as well as this policy does. Supabase, Resend, Cloudflare, Expo, Squarespace and Breeze handle it only for us, under their agreements with us. Apple, Google and PayPal also apply their own privacy policies.

When you watch us on YouTube or follow a link to another site, that site's own policy applies. We may also share information when the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety. We never sell it.

Where it's kept and for how long

The app's database is in Canada, though some requests to it may be handled in other countries. Our website, its forms and several of the companies above keep information in the United States or elsewhere.

Information kept outside Canada is protected by our agreements with those companies. It's also subject to that country's laws, so its courts, police and security agencies may be able to get it.

We keep information only as long as we need it:

• Your app account, HoM Key and Saturdays: until you delete your account.

• Your sign-in on each phone, with its IP address and app details: until you sign out on that phone, or delete your account.

• A first-timer's door record (name, email if given, Saturdays): until they ask us to delete it. If they sign up with the same email, it joins their account.

• Your phone's push token: until you sign out or delete your account. If you delete the app, we remove it the next time a note can't reach your phone.

• Your Apple Wallet registration: until you remove the key, reissue it or delete your account.

• Your key at Google: until you delete your account. We then retire it and take your details off it. Removing it from Google Wallet alone doesn't delete Google's copy.

• Notes sent from HoM: kept as a record of what was sent, with no record of who received them.

• Technical logs and sign-in emails: up to 30 days.

• App database backups: up to 7 days after the information is deleted.

• Messages and forms: until we've replied and followed up, or you ask us to delete them.

• Testimonies: as long as we share them, or until you ask us to remove yours.

• Records of gifts: as long as the law requires for Cornerstone's financial records.

• Community Conversations answers, notes and recordings: until we no longer need them for the purpose we told you about.

When you delete your account, we delete your sign-in, details, HoM Key, Saturdays, push tokens and Apple Wallet registrations. If you signed in with Apple, we ask Apple to disconnect HoM. If HoM still shows under Sign in with Apple in your iPhone's Settings, you can remove it there. If you signed in with Google, you can remove HoM from the third-party connections in your Google Account.

After you delete your account, a key in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet no longer works at the door. We also retire a key in Google Wallet and take your name, code and Saturdays off it. Either key stays in Wallet until you remove it.

Your choices

You can see, correct or delete your information, and withdraw your consent, at any time. The law may require us to keep some records, such as records of gifts.

• See and change your details: in the app, open You › Personal Info. You can change your email address there too: we send a code to the new address to confirm it.

• Delete your account: in the app, open You › Personal Info › Delete Account. It takes effect straight away. No app? Email hello@hourofmeditation.com from the address you signed up with, and we'll delete your account within 30 days. You can still join us in the room or on YouTube without an account.

• Notifications: turn them off in your phone's Settings. Signing out also stops them on that phone.

• Reminders and the birthday note: turn reminders off in the app, under You › Reminders. To stop the birthday note, remove your birthday from Personal Info.

• Wallet: remove the key from Wallet. If your phone is lost, open You › HoM Key and reissue your key: the old one stops working at the door and stops updating.

• Testimonies: if you'd rather yours were shared without your name, or not at all, write to us.

• Cookies: block or clear them in your browser's settings. Most of the website works without them.

• Community Conversations: skip any question, or stop taking part, at any time.

• Ask us: write to our Privacy Officer at hello@hourofmeditation.com for a copy of what we hold about you, or to correct or delete it. That includes a first-timer's door record, a form or a testimony. We'll reply within 30 days.

If you aren't satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or, in Alberta, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

Children, security and changes

Children. HoM isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. Children who come with their families aren't checked in. If you think a child under 13 has given us information, write to us and we'll delete it. Community Conversations are for adults only.

Security. Information travels encrypted between your device and our services. In the app's database, each member can read only their own account and Saturdays, and hosts see only what the door needs. If a breach puts your information at real risk of significant harm, we'll tell you and the privacy commissioner who oversees us.

Other sites. Our website and app link to sites we don't run, such as YouTube, PayPal and Breeze. Their own privacy policies apply there.

Changes. When we change this policy, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change affects information you've already given us, we'll tell you first, in the app or by email, and ask for your consent where it's needed.

Contact. Gift Okwa, Privacy Officer, Hour of Meditation, Cornerstone Christian Church of God, 9249 50 St. NW, Edmonton, AB T6B 3B6, Canada. hello@hourofmeditation.com