Biography of the late Rev. Peter Agolory

(January 01, 1935 to February 13, 2009)

            Rev. Peter Agolory, one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, was born in 1935 in Obeer village, south of Akobo town. He was born into the family of Omot Odwangi and Abyei Nyigwo, better known as Abyei Nyalil. Abyei Nyalil was a devoted Christian. She raised all her children to love God. It was her strong faith in the Lord that shaped the faith, not only of her children, but also of her grandchildren. Her spiritual life no doubt paved the way for his son, Peter Agolory, to become a man of God.

            In 1958, Peter Agolory accepted God’s call and started his ministry as an evangelist in Othil village, south of Akobo town. It was there that he met his wife Ajulu Gilo Oriet, who devoted herself to share life with him until his last day, February 13, 2009.

            During his early ministry, Peter Agolory, a young and energetic evangelist, managed to bring many people to the church and strengthened the Church in Othil. It was through his willingness to reach out, his ability to communicate well, and his skill in motivating people, which drew the attention of the United Presbyterian Mission of Sudan, which in the early sixties selected him as an evangelist.

            In 1962, when the evangelist John Achik Omot was transferred to serve in Pochalla, Peter Agolory was invited to come to Akobo and work under the mentorship of another evangelist, John Adwah. At that time, youth work was among Peter’s responsibilities. In 1965 he organized youth trips from Akobo to Pibor and from Pibor to Akobo. Anyuak and Murle were joined together by the Presbyterian Church as one congregation. Through those trips, Peter Agolory managed to build a bridge between two neighboring communities of believers, which remains strong to this day.

            Because of his active role in the Church, in 1967 he was sent by the Presbyterian Church of Sudan to the headquarters in Malakal town, to start and work with new congregations. In 1970 Peter Agolory was sent back to Akobo to revive the church there which was slowing down. In 1971 Peter Agolory was sent to Watt town to build and strengthen the Church there. Being fluent in both the Anyuak and Nuer languages, Peter Agolory did not find difficulties communicating with the local people.

            Peter Agolory carried out his evangelical missions during the first civil war in Sudan , known as the Anyanya-one war. During that period of time, the Islamic Northern Sudanese Government was persecuting the church. The Northern Government specifically targeted pastors, evangelists and other leaders of the church. Many men of God were persecuted and some were killed during that war. Peter Agolory was not an exception. He was detained several times, persecuted and even sentenced to death at one time. All of these efforts were intended to make him abandon his evangelical activities. His family was tortured and persecuted also in the hope that the suffering of his family would certainly cause him to cease evangelizing people. All Peter Agolory would do for all those unfair treatments of him was to pray. He was a man of deep faith and prayer. Even the increasing pressure from some of his relatives, who thought that he was inviting troubles upon himself by preaching the gospel, could not stop him from taking the good news deep into South Sudanese villages.

            Earlier in 1971, when the Northern Government Army intensified its persecution against the church, many evangelists were killed. The Church leaders, who did not want to risk the few remaining evangelists, called all missionaries, including Peter Agolory, to retreat to Malakal to learn new tactics of evangelism.  

            In 1972, the Addis Ababa peace agreement was signed and Peter Agolory was sent again to Akobo town to strengthen the church there.

            What was amazing in Peter Agolory’s earlier mission was the fact that he had not been trained and had not attended a theology school. In fact, in his early years he had not attended any school at all. His mentor, John Adwah, taught him to read and write in the Anyuak and Nuer languages, and that was sufficient for him to do God’s work. It was only in 1974 that the Presbyterian Church of Sudan sent him to Doleib Hill Bible School for theology studies. He graduated in 1977 and returned to Akobo. In 1979 he was ordained and became the first pastor ever ordained among the Anyuaks in Sudan . From 1979 to 1983, Rev. Peter Agolory worked in the church in Akobo, traveled to Anyuak villages and even deep into Nuers villages, where he baptized many people, opened many churches and trained and encouraged young people to serve in the church. Although his priesthood came during a peaceful time, there was unrest in Akobo. The tribal war between the Anyuak and the Nuer peoples was intensifying; and Rev. Peter Agolory found himself and his church in the midst of temptations. As he did in the past, Rev. Peter Agolory would rely on his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The more temptations arose, the more he and his prayer team, (composed of both Anyuaks and Nuers), prayed. Once again Rev. Agolory found his life and the life of his family in danger during that period of time. He was ordered several times to abandon preaching in Nuer areas or face consequences. But the people in those areas would not agree to be baptized by anyone except Rev. Peter Agolory; also, the evangelists in those villages usually preferred to work only under the mentorship of Rev. Agolory, though he was from a different tribe. This showed the love of Christ that has no boundaries. It was during those days that the Nuer evangelist Peter Nyok, under the mentorship of Rev. Agolory, wrote the famous hymn “Jesus Died Paying For Our Iniquities”, which was later translated to the Anyuak language.

            When insecurity escalated in Akobo in 1983, Rev. Agolory moved to Juba where most of his flock also moved. In the same year, he was called by the Presbyterian Church to come to Malakal, where he served from 1983 to 1993, as pastor in charge of the Anyuak and Murle congregations. From 1993 to 1996, he attended Nile Theology College in Khartoum North. After graduation, from 1996 to 1997, he served as Director of Bam Centre in Malakal. In 1998, he was selected to be the lead pastor for the Anyuak congregations in Sudan . In 2004, he was transferred from Malakal to Khartoum , where he served until February 13, 2009, when he was call to be with the Lord.

            Rev. Agolory is survived by a wife, 10 children, 6 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, 5 adopted children and a sister. No one would doubt that the legacy of Rev. Peter Agolory during his life on this earth was to lift high the cross of Jesus. He carried his cross even when his life and the lives of his family members were in danger. He carried his cross amidst the growing temptations around and within the Presbyterian Church of Sudan.