A SERIES January 10 - February 21
January 17: Mama Bears, the Movie
10:30 in CC 3208
Moderator: Bill Shull
and in the afternoon, after class potluck:
Mama Bears Film Screening & Discussion Panel Saturday, January 17, 2026
at 2:30 p.m.
Damazo Amphitheater, Centennial Complex
24760 Stewart Street, Loma Linda, CA 92354
Moderator: Dr. Zack Plantak
Co-sponsored by the LLU School of Religion Humanities Program
“This event ... offers an opportunity for meaningful reflection and dialogue within our faith and academic community.”
Spread across the country but connected through private Facebook groups, they call themselves “mama bears” because while their love is warm and fuzzy, they fight ferociously to make the world kinder and safer for all LGBTQ+ people. Although some may have grown up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, mama bears are willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their offspring safe even if it challenges their belief systems and rips their worlds apart.
MAMA BEARS is an intimate, thought-provoking exploration of the journeys taken by Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley, two “mama bears” whose profound love for their LGBTQ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community and Tammi Terrell Morris, a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance perfectly exemplifies why the mama bears are so vitally important. (MORE)
10:30: Opening Prayer, Announcements and Opening Liturgy
Movie (1.5 hours) and brief Discussion
12:30 - Closing Liturgy
Class website: www.sabbathseminars.org
Sabbath Morning 10:30-12:30
ZOOM CLASS request link HERE
Past presentations: click on “archive” at our class website: www.sabbathseminars.org
Location: Room 3208, Centennial Complex
Loma Linda University
24760 Stewart St., Loma Linda, CA 92354
Parking is accessed from Campus Ave, north of Stewart St.
Sabbath Seminars
Room 3208
Centennial Complex of Loma Linda University Sabbath Morning 10:30-12:30