Hosanna Lutheran Church, located in Covington, Louisiana (HLC) is committed to protecting your online privacy while providing you with the most useful and enjoyable Web experience possible. While you can use most features of HLC's Web site anonymously, you are requested to provide personal information to use some of our services.

How we collect and use personal information

HLC does not sell, lend nor distribute any user information to any third party.

We use your IP address to help administer our Web site. Your IP address is used to gather broad demographic information.

The HLC site provides links to commercial sites and other external sites we feel might be of use or interest to our visitors. HLC is not responsible for the privacy practices and/or the content of such Web sites. When visiting such sites, we urge you to be an informed surfer and use caution when providing any personal data. These sites maintain their own respective privacy policies and any questions regarding privacy policies of these sites should be addressed to those sites specifically.

How we use cookies

As you probably know, "cookies" are small pieces of information that some Web sites store on your computer's hard drive when you visit them. However, cookies say nothing about who you are unless you specifically give them personally identifiable information. In addition, you may elect not to allow cookies to be collected by selecting certain options on your browser.

The HLC Web site uses cookies directly in two areas only; on the members only Team Message Board and for tracking. We also use third party service providers who use cookies. These include, but are not limited to, the devotionals, Bible search and site trackers. The cookies are used to facilitate use of those areas. The site trackers provide reports to the HLC Webmaster. The information in those reports provide statistics about our users traffic patterns, IP address, the time of the visit, information about the page they requested and brand of web browser. This is to assure we maintain a useful and functioning Web site for our users.

We use tracking technologies in a variety of ways, including:

• keeping count of return visits to our site
• accumulating and report anonymous, aggregate (data collected in mass), statistical information on Web site usage
• determining which features users like best
• for members only, password protected, areas

What third party services we use

All third party services that are used on the HLC Web site maintain their own respective privacy policies and any questions regarding privacy policies of these sites should be addressed to those sites specifically. For those services that do not forward the user to the third party's site, a link is provided on the HLC site.

Some third party services the HLC Web site uses include, but are not limited to:

• Devotionals
• Bible Search
• ELCA News links
• Fun Stuff links
• Christianbook.com links
• AddFree Stats

HLC does not sell, lend nor distribute any user information to any third party.

Obtaining your consent

If you are under the age of 13, you must not provide your name, e-mail address, or any other identifying information without the consent of your parent or guardian, or as otherwise provided for by applicable law. We operate our site in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, and do not permit registration by, and will not knowingly collect or use personally identifiable information from, anyone under 13 years of age.

Changes to this policy

Any changes to our privacy policy will be posted on this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it.

Tell us what you think

HLC welcomes your questions and comments about our privacy policy. Please click here to send the Webservant an E-mail.