SharingTheHeart.org Accounts FAQ

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What are SharingTheHeart.org Accounts?

SharingTheHeart.org accounts are used to provide attendees of First United Methodist Church of McKinney, Texas the ability to obtain personalized information as well as connect with other attendees of the church. The accounts also serve to grant access to non-public areas of the website.

Why does SharingTheHeart.org have restricted access areas?

There are no big secrets being hidden on the site, and the vast majority of areas on SharingTheHeart.org are freely viewable by the general public. There are a number of reasons that we may restrict access to a small number of areas. The first is that some areas are set up to facilitate internal communication of various small groups and participation is only relevant to members of those groups.
Accounts also serve to protect personal information and privacy of our congregation in instances where they are exchanging information that could be used inappropriately by someone with bad intentions or an automated web program called a bot that mines websites for email addresses and other personal information. In the case of member forums, it can also protect the members from abusive messages, unwanted solitation and spam, or predators with criminal intentions.
Lastly, as a precaution, in some cases photo galleries may be restricted to church attendees if they contain many photos of children.

Who can have an Account on SharingTheHeart.org?

Any current member or attendee of First Church can have an account with SharingTheHeart.org. When an account is applied for, it is checked against a list of members and those who have registered as attendees at a regular service within the recent past. If you feel you qualify for an account under these criteria and are either rejected or don't receive an account confirmation, please contact the site administrator (administrator(at)sharingtheheart.org) and explain the situation.

What is the information in my account used for?

The information is primarly used to positively identify the user for approval purposed. Beyond this, the information can help the account holder to obtain tailored information in their areas of interest. The account email adresses may also be used to communicate with members of the congregation from time to time. In no case is the information given to a third party for any use.

How do I update the information in my account?

It is always a good idea to have accurate information in your account, especially your email address so that you can be contacted, if necessary. To update your account information, login as usual from "My Account" then select "Edit Account" from the submenu.