
Our Purpose:
Our Diversity and Social Justice Team is committed to helping people go deeper into the issues of mission, mercy, and justice by addressing systemic causes of injustice and issues related to living our Christian faith in our culture and society. The Team has committed to focus in five areas:
- Environment/God’s Creation
- Immigration
- Interfaith work
- LGBTQ+ Concerns and Welcome
- Mental Health

Pill Bottle Collection Drive Sept. 10-Oct. 15
We all rely on the safety and convenience of medication and prescription bottles - those little plastic and orange pill bottles that we get from the pharmacies. But did you know that an estimated 165 million of these plastic pill bottles end up in our oceans, waterways and landfills where it can take hundreds of years for them to decompose? They also cannot be recycled through your weekly curbside recycling. As part of the Diversity/Social Justice Team's "Caring for God's Creation" campaign, both Kingswood campuses will participate in a pill bottle collection drive from September 15-October 10. All pill bottles collected will be shipped to Ohio-based humanitarian aid and disaster relief agency, Matthew 25: Ministries, who use them to help improve medical care in developing countries. The pill bottles are blended with other medical supplies and shipped to hospitals and clinics worldwide including international locations such as Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Trinidad. Empty, clean pill containers can be dropped in the Fireside Room at Buffalo Grove or outside the sanctuary at Deerfield. For a complete list of area locations where prescription drugs can be dropped off click here.
Gun Violence Panel Discussion
On October 11, the Diversity/Social Justice Team sponsored a panel discussion for community members to stay informed about gun violence. Our featured panelists included Buffalo Grove Police Officer Malcolm Baker and Lt. Tara Anderson, Sheri Williams from Moms Demand Action, and Dan Didech, Illinois State Rep. D-59. The entire program can be viewed here.