Legal document

Cookie Policy

How we use cookies and similar technologies.

Overview

Cookie overview

Understand cookies, website technologies and your choices

This Cookie Policy explains how cookies and similar technologies may be used when you visit the NCHIC website. The sections below describe the topics covered by the policy and where to find information about managing your preferences.

This overview is a navigation guide. Refer to the full Cookie Policy for its detailed wording and contact information.

Cookies and technologies

An introduction to cookies and similar technologies described in this policy.

Website services

Information about the purposes and services associated with website technologies.

Managing preferences

Where to find guidance about cookie settings and your available choices.

About this page

This summary introduces the topics covered. Refer to the relevant section below for the complete wording and contact details.

NCHIC · Cookie overview

NCHIC Cookie Policy

Learn about the website technologies described in the policy and find information on managing your preferences. Use the numbered contents to jump to a topic.

New Covenant Hosanna

International Church

28 Main policy sections

Cookies & choices

Key points

Read the introduction to cookies and related website technologies.

Explore the policy’s information about purposes and website services.

Find the sections that explain settings and available preferences.

Refer to the complete policy for details and further enquiries.

Last updated: March 2026. Contact the church if you have questions about this policy.

1. Introduction

New Covenant Hosanna International Church (“NCHIC”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to transparency about the technologies we use on our website. This Cookie Policy explains in detail what cookies are, how and why we use them, the types of cookies we use, the information they collect, and how you can manage your cookie preferences.

This policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy, which provides comprehensive information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. Section 12 of our Privacy Policy specifically addresses cookies and tracking technologies used across our platforms.

By continuing to use our website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this Cookie Policy. If you do not agree to our use of cookies, you should adjust your browser settings accordingly or refrain from using our website.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to website owners.

2.1 How Cookies Work

When you visit our website, our web server sends a cookie to your device. Your browser stores the cookie in a designated file on your device. When you return to our website or navigate between pages, your browser sends the cookie back to our server, allowing us to recognise your device and remember certain information about your previous visits.

2.2 Types of Information Stored

Cookies can store a variety of information, including:

A unique identifier for your device or session
Your preferences and settings (e.g., language, theme)
Pages you have visited and content you have interacted with
Your login status (whether you are signed in)
Items in a shopping cart or form data in progress
Information about your device and browser capabilities

2.3 First-Party vs Third-Party Cookies

First-party cookies are set by the website you are visiting (nchic.com.au) and can only be read by that website
Third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one you are visiting, typically by services embedded in our website such as analytics tools, video players, or social media widgets

3. How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following overarching purposes:

Essential website operation: Ensuring our website functions correctly, maintaining your session, and providing security protections
Performance and analytics: Understanding how visitors use our website, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve the user experience
Functionality and personalisation: Remembering your preferences, such as language settings, display options, and previously viewed content
Communication effectiveness: Understanding which emails and content resonate with our community to improve our ministry communications
Content delivery: Enabling embedded content from third-party platforms such as YouTube videos, podcast players, and social media feeds
Security: Protecting against fraudulent activity, spam, and abuse of our online services

4. Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of our website. Without these cookies, services you have requested cannot be provided. These cookies cannot be disabled as the website will not function properly without them.

Essential cookies on our website include:

Session management: Maintaining your browsing session as you navigate between pages
Authentication: Keeping you logged in if you have a user account
Security tokens: CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) protection tokens that prevent malicious form submissions
Cookie consent: Storing your cookie preference choices so we don’t ask repeatedly
Load balancing: Distributing website traffic across servers for optimal performance
Payment security: Fraud prevention cookies from our payment processor (Stripe) when processing donations
Form state: Preserving data in forms (e.g., prayer request submissions, contact forms) in case of accidental page navigation

5. Analytical & Performance Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This data allows us to improve our website’s structure, content, and user experience.

5.1 What We Measure

Number of visitors and unique users over time
Most visited pages and content (e.g., which sermons are most viewed)
Average time spent on pages and session duration
Bounce rates (visitors who leave after viewing only one page)
User flow (how visitors navigate through the site)
Referring sources (how visitors found our website — search engines, social media, direct links)
Geographic distribution of visitors (country and city level, not precise location)
Device types, screen resolutions, and browsers used
Page load times and technical performance metrics
Download statistics for resources (Bible studies, sermon notes, hymn PDFs)

5.2 Anonymisation

We have configured our analytics tools with IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your full IP address is never stored. Analytics data is aggregated and cannot be used to identify individual users. We do not combine analytics data with other personal information we may hold.

6. Functional Cookies

Functional cookies enable enhanced features and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have embedded on our pages. If you disable these cookies, some or all of these services may not function properly.

Functional cookies on our website remember:

Your preferred language (English, Kirundi, French, Swahili)
Your light/dark mode display preference
Your audio player volume and playback settings
Recently viewed sermons, Bible studies, and resources
Whether you’ve dismissed informational banners or notices
Your preferred Bible version for Scripture references
Your timezone for event time displays
Form auto-fill data for convenience (e.g., name and email in prayer request forms)

7. Advertising & Social Media Cookies

As a church, we do not engage in commercial advertising. However, we may use limited advertising-related cookies for the following ministry purposes:

Event promotion: Tracking the effectiveness of social media campaigns promoting church events, conferences, and special services
Community outreach: Measuring the reach and engagement of online outreach campaigns designed to connect people with our church community
Retargeting: In some cases, showing event reminders to people who have previously visited our event pages

Social media cookies are placed by platforms such as Facebook/Meta, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok when you interact with social sharing buttons or embedded social content on our website. These cookies may track your browsing activity across other websites. We do not control these cookies — they are governed by each platform’s own privacy and cookie policies.

You can opt out of social media tracking by adjusting your privacy settings on each platform and/or by blocking third-party cookies in your browser.

8. Third-Party Cookies

In addition to our own cookies, we allow certain trusted third parties to place cookies on your device when you visit our website. These third parties and their purposes include:

Google Analytics: Website usage analytics with IP anonymisation (see Section 16)
YouTube (Google): Video embedding and playback functionality for sermon recordings and worship content
Stripe: Secure payment processing and fraud prevention for online donations
Facebook/Meta: Social sharing widgets and event promotion pixel tracking
Spotify/Apple Podcasts: Embedded podcast players for sermon and devotional audio content
Cloudflare: Content delivery network (CDN) performance and security cookies
Google Fonts: Web font delivery for consistent typography across devices
Google Maps: Embedded maps showing church location and event venues

We carefully vet all third-party services and only partner with providers who demonstrate a commitment to privacy and data protection. However, we do not control the cookies set by these third parties. We recommend reviewing their respective privacy and cookie policies for detailed information.

9. Detailed Cookie List

The following table provides details of the specific cookies used on our website. This list is reviewed and updated regularly.

*This list is regularly reviewed and updated. Additional cookies may be set when new features or integrations are added to the website.

10. Local Storage & Web Beacons

10.1 Local Storage

In addition to cookies, we may use HTML5 local storage and session storage to store data on your device. Local storage is similar to cookies but allows for larger amounts of data to be stored and is not sent to the server with every HTTP request. We use local storage for:

Caching sermon and Bible study content for offline access
Storing user interface state (e.g., sidebar collapsed/expanded)
Maintaining audio player position for sermon playback resumption
Performance optimisation by caching frequently accessed data

10.2 Web Beacons (Tracking Pixels)

Web beacons are tiny, invisible images or code snippets embedded in web pages or emails. We may use web beacons to:

Track email open rates and click-through rates for our newsletters and ministry communications
Measure the effectiveness of event promotion campaigns
Understand which content resonates with our community
Count visitors to specific pages for capacity planning

10.3 Fingerprinting

We do not use browser fingerprinting techniques to identify or track users. We are committed to respecting your privacy and rely only on standard, transparent tracking methods as described in this policy.

11. Session vs Persistent Cookies

11.1 Session Cookies

Session cookies are temporary cookies that are stored in your device’s memory only during your browsing session. They are automatically deleted when you close your browser. We use session cookies for maintaining your login state, CSRF protection, and preserving form data as you navigate between pages.

11.2 Persistent Cookies

Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time (specified in the “Expiry” column in Section 9) or until you manually delete them. We use persistent cookies for remembering your preferences, analytics tracking, and maintaining your consent choices. Each persistent cookie has a specific expiration date, after which it is automatically deleted.

12. Cookie Consent & Preferences

When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner that allows you to:

Accept all cookies: Consent to the use of all cookie categories
Customise preferences: Choose which categories of cookies you wish to allow (essential cookies cannot be disabled)
Reject non-essential cookies: Only essential cookies will be set

Your consent choice is stored in a cookie on your device for 12 months. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in our website footer or by clearing your cookies and revisiting the site.

Please note that withdrawing consent for certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website and your user experience.

13. Managing Cookies in Browsers

Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can typically:

View the cookies stored on your device
Delete individual cookies or all cookies
Block cookies from specific websites
Block all third-party cookies
Block all cookies entirely
Set your browser to notify you when a cookie is being set
Clear cookies automatically when you close your browser

13.1 Browser-Specific Instructions

For detailed instructions on managing cookies in your specific browser:

Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data
Mozilla Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
Apple Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies
Opera: Settings → Advanced → Privacy & Security → Cookies
Brave: Settings → Shields → Cookies

14. Cookies on Mobile Devices

Cookies function similarly on mobile devices. You can manage cookies on your mobile device through:

iOS (iPhone/iPad): Settings → Safari → Privacy & Security → Block Cookies; also Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data
Android: Chrome app → Settings → Site settings → Cookies; Samsung Internet → Settings → Sites and downloads → Manage site data
Mobile app cookies: If we provide a mobile app, cookies and similar technologies used within the app are managed through the app’s settings and your device’s operating system settings

Additionally, mobile operating systems provide advertising identifiers (IDFA on iOS, GAID on Android) which can be reset or disabled through your device settings.

15. Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) setting that sends a signal to websites requesting that they do not track the user’s activity. As there is currently no universally accepted standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals, our website does not currently respond to DNT browser signals.

However, we respect your privacy choices and encourage you to use our cookie consent controls and browser cookie management features to manage tracking on our website. We also support the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal where technically feasible.

16. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your website visits, including:

Pages viewed and time spent on each page
How you arrived at our website (referral source)
Your approximate geographic location (city level)
Your device type, operating system, and browser
Events and interactions (e.g., clicks on buttons, video plays, downloads)

16.1 Privacy Protections

IP anonymisation is enabled — your full IP address is never stored by Google Analytics
We have disabled data sharing with Google for advertising purposes
We have set the data retention period to 14 months
We do not enable User-ID tracking or Google Signals for cross-device tracking
We have signed a Data Processing Agreement with Google

16.2 Opting Out of Google Analytics

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, which prevents Google Analytics JavaScript from sharing information about your visit with Google Analytics. Alternatively, you can reject analytical cookies through our cookie consent banner.

17. Social Media Plugins

Our website includes social media sharing buttons and embedded feeds from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. When you interact with these features:

The respective social media platform may set its own cookies on your device
If you are logged into the social media platform, it may associate your visit to our website with your profile
Social sharing buttons may track that you visited our page, even if you don’t click them
We have no control over cookies set by social media platforms

To manage social media cookies, adjust your privacy settings on each platform directly and consider using browser extensions that block social media trackers.

18. Embedded Content

Our website embeds content from third-party platforms to enhance your experience:

YouTube videos: Sermon recordings, worship videos, and promotional content. YouTube may set cookies including VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, YSC, and PREF. We use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com) where possible to minimise tracking.
Spotify/podcast embeds: Embedded podcast players for sermon audio and devotional content. These platforms set their own cookies for playback functionality.
Google Maps: Interactive maps showing our church location and event venues. Google may set cookies for map functionality.
Bible Gateway/YouVersion: Embedded Scripture references and reading plans. These services may set functional cookies.

Embedded content from third-party platforms behaves as if you visited those platforms directly. These third-party sites may collect data about you, use cookies, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content.

19. Payment & Donation Platform Cookies

When you make online donations through our website, our payment processor (Stripe) sets cookies that are essential for secure transaction processing:

Fraud prevention: Cookies that help detect and prevent fraudulent transactions
Session identification: Maintaining the payment session during the donation process
Device recognition: Identifying your device to prevent unauthorised payments
Compliance: Meeting PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) requirements

These cookies are classified as essential and cannot be disabled without preventing online donation functionality. They do not track your browsing activity outside the payment process.

20. Live Streaming & Media Cookies

Our live streaming services and media player functionality use cookies to:

Maintain your connection to the live stream and prevent buffering issues
Remember your preferred video quality and audio settings
Track viewer counts for live events (anonymised)
Enable chat and interactive features during live broadcasts
Store your playback position in sermon recordings so you can resume later
Adapt streaming quality based on your network connection

21. Security & Fraud Prevention

We use certain cookies specifically for security purposes:

CSRF tokens: Prevent cross-site request forgery attacks on forms
Rate limiting: Detect and prevent automated attacks and abuse
Bot detection: Distinguish legitimate users from automated bots
Session hijacking prevention: Validate that sessions belong to the correct user
Cloudflare security: DDoS protection and web application firewall cookies

These security cookies are classified as essential and are critical for protecting both our website and our users. They cannot be disabled.

22. Cookie Data Retention

Cookie data is retained for varying periods depending on the type and purpose:

Session cookies: Deleted automatically when you close your browser
Analytics cookies: Data retained for up to 14 months, then automatically deleted
Preference cookies: Retained for up to 12 months from your last visit
Consent cookies: Retained for 12 months before requesting your preferences again
Security cookies: Retained for the minimum period necessary (typically session-based)

You can delete cookies from your device at any time using your browser settings. Please note that deleting cookies will reset your preferences and you may be asked to provide consent again.

23. Cookies & Children’s Privacy

We are committed to protecting children’s privacy online. Our approach to cookies and children includes:

We do not knowingly use cookies to collect personal information from children under 16 without verifiable parental consent
Analytical and advertising cookies are minimised on pages primarily designed for children’s ministry content
Our children’s ministry registration and check-in systems use only essential security cookies
Parents may request information about any cookies set during their child’s interaction with our website

For more information about how we protect children’s data, please refer to Section 4 of our Privacy Policy.

24. International Considerations

As NCHIC serves a global community, our cookie practices consider international privacy regulations:

Australian Privacy Act 1988: Our primary compliance framework, including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) governing the handling of personal information collected through cookies
EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): For visitors from the European Economic Area, we provide explicit opt-in consent for non-essential cookies and honour the right to withdraw consent at any time
UK GDPR & PECR: For visitors from the United Kingdom, we comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations requirements for cookie consent
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): For California residents, we provide the right to opt out of the “sale” of personal information through cookies, although we do not sell personal information
Canada’s PIPEDA: We obtain meaningful consent for the use of cookies from Canadian visitors

25. Legal Basis for Cookie Use

Our legal basis for using cookies varies depending on the type:

Essential cookies: Legitimate interest — these are strictly necessary for the website to function and do not require consent
Analytical cookies: Consent — we obtain your consent before setting analytical cookies through our cookie consent mechanism
Functional cookies: Consent — optional cookies that enhance functionality require your affirmative consent
Advertising/social media cookies: Consent — these are only set with your explicit agreement

Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

26. Impact of Disabling Cookies

If you choose to disable or reject cookies, you should be aware of the following potential impacts on your experience:

You may be unable to log into your account or maintain a persistent session
Your language, theme, and other preferences will not be remembered between visits
Embedded videos (sermons, worship recordings) may not play correctly
Online donation and payment forms may not function securely
Interactive features such as live stream chat may be unavailable
You may see the cookie consent banner on every visit
Some pages may not display correctly or may have reduced functionality
We will be unable to improve our website based on usage data
Audio player settings (volume, playback position) will reset on each visit

Essential cookies cannot be disabled without completely preventing the website from functioning. We recommend allowing at least essential and functional cookies for the best experience.

27. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes:

The revised policy will be published on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date
Material changes may be communicated through a prominent notice on our website or via our newsletter
Where changes affect the categories of cookies we use, we will request your renewed consent
We will maintain a change log of significant updates to this policy
Previous versions of this policy will be archived and available upon request

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Cookie Policy.

28. Contact Information

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, wish to exercise your rights regarding cookie data, or require further information about this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

Privacy Officer

New Covenant Hosanna International Church

1821 Ipswich Rd, Rocklea QLD 4106

Email: admin@nchic.com.au

Phone: +61 412 275 620

For further guidance on cookies and online tracking, you may also visit:

www.allaboutcookies.org — Comprehensive information about cookies
www.youronlinechoices.com.au — Australian guide to online behavioural advertising
www.oaic.gov.au — Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

We believe in transparency and want you to feel confident about how your data is handled when you visit our website.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” — Colossians 3:23

Need more information?

If you have questions about this page or would like further assistance, please contact the church team.