1997 NCC General Assembly, Nov. 11-14, 1997, Washington, D.C.

1997 General Assembly "Who's Who"

Aram I

His Holiness Aram I is the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia in the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church and the Moderator of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. Born in Lebanon in 1947, Aram Keshishian holds a doctorate in theology from Fordham University, New York, and has completed a postgraduate course at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. In 1980 he was ordained a bishop, and in 1995 was elected Catholicos of the See of Cilicia. He was elected a member of the WCC Faith and Order Commission in 1975 and in 1983 he was elected to the WCC Central Committee. He played an active role in the founding and restructuring of the Middle East Council of Churches. Aram I is the author of several books, including The Witness of the Armenian Church and Christian Witness at the Crossroads in the Middle East.

Ms. Charlene Moore Cooper

A United Methodist from Washington, D.C., Ms. Moore Cooper is serving as the Assembly's song leader. A widely recognized instrumentalist, composer and conductor, she is musical director of The Municipal Opera of Baltimore, director of music/organist at Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ and a teacher of music and liturgy at Howard University. She has founded several area musical groups and has performed in concern halls throughout the East and Midwest.

Dr. Diana L. Eck

Dr. Diana L. Eck, an active member of the United Methodist Church, is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University. She has also worked with the World Council of Churches on questions of interreligious relations and dialogue and is a member of the international presidium of the World Conference on Religion and Peace. Since 1991, Dr. Eck has been heading a research team at Harvard University called "The Pluralism Project" to explore the new religious diversity of the United States and its meaning for the American pluralist experiment. She and her research team have produced an interactive CD-ROM, On Common Ground: World Religions in America. Her most recent book, Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras (Beacon Press, 1993) is in the area of Christian theology and interfaith dialogue. Dr. Eck received her B.A. from Smith College (1967), her M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1968) and her Ph.D. from Harvard University (1976).

The Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour

The Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour since 1995 has served as General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches. Born in Aleppo, Syria, he grew up in the industrial city of Homs. While in high school, he spent one year in Green Bay, Wis., as an exchange student. He completed his B.A. degree at Hagazian College and M.Div. at the Near East School of Theology, both in Beirut, Lebanon, and in 1978 was ordained a Minister in the Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. Further studies include the STM degree in Islamic studies from the Near East School of Theology, and the D.Min. degree at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Ill. A chaplain in South Lebanon for several years, he joined the Middle East Council of Churches in 1978 as Director of the Youth Program, and in 1983 became co-director, with his wife, Roseangela, of the Ayia Napa Conference Center in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. In 1985 he was named Associate General Secretary of the MECC and Director of its Unit on Education and Renewal. The MECC has become increasingly involved in Christian-Muslim dialogue under the Rev. Jarjour's leadership.

Mr. Alimany I. Koroma

Biography to come.

Dr. Mary Tanner

Dr. Mary Tanner is Ecumenical Officer for the Church of England. She has served as a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches since 1974, and since 1991 has chaired that Commission. She also was Moderator of the WCC Advisory Group of the Community of Women and Men in the Church Study (1979-83), and moderated the WCC's Fifth World Conference on Faith and Order at Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Dr. Tanner's service to her communion, the Church of England, also has been multi-faceted. Her contributions include: University Lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew; Theological Secretary for the Board of Mission and Unity of the General Synod; member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission; consultant to the ecumenical section of the Lambeth Conference and Convenor of the Women's Presentation at Lambeth; Member of the Eames' Commission on Women and the Episcopate set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Her many awards include the Lambeth DD for services to ecumenism. Dr. Tanner's publications are in the area of Old Testament studies, ecumenism and Christian feminism.

Jody Williams

Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, is Coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Ms. Williams, 47, began working for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation at the end of 1991 to bring together a coalition to ban antipersonnel landmines. From two organizations, the coalition has grown to more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations in over 60 countries working together as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Ms. Williams has spoken and written extensively on the issue of the landmine crisis. She co-authored a seminal work on the socio-economic impact of the weapon, After the Guns Fall Silent: The Enduring Legacy of Landmines. Before the campaign, she spent eleven years as an advocate and organizer on issues related to U.S. policy toward Central America. Ms. Williams is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, has coordinated the Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project and been associate director of Medical Aid to El Salvador.

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