The Absolute Gospel Company
We are a group of Christians drawn from many churches in Tonbridge
and the surrounding towns and villages in Kent, UK.
Our aim is to present Biblical truth in an entertaining,
encouraging and challenging way, and our work has
the commendation of the Christian leadership.
Our company productions involve choral and solo
singing, dance, drama, narration, and audio-visual
elements. As time has passed, these productions
have become more prophetic in approach.
Our hope is that this website will inform
you who we are and what we do, and will
also to give you an indication of the
resources we would like to share with
the wider Church around the world.
CURRENT PROJECT
Dreyfus – a play for our times – Prejudice, Injustice, Exoneration
Captain Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarising political dramas in modern French history. Wrongly convicted of treason, he was sent to Devil’s Island off the coast of South America. Here he was imprisoned in appalling conditions for over 5 years. Subject to solitary confinement and receiving no replies to his conversations, he lost the ability to speak. There was cover up at the highest level and fierce opposition to his cause. In France there were riots as the country was split down the middle. Anti-Semitism became rife. The reverberations were felt throughout Europe. It ultimately ended after a great deal of personal and family suffering with Dreyfus’s complete exoneration.
It is an extraordinary story, full of unexpected twists and turns. It is not an exaggeration to say this is one of the key events in the shaping of European history.
The Dreyfus Case is an inspiration as to what can be achieved if we make a stand for truth and justice, whatever the personal cost.
This is a new multi-media play written by award winning author Roy Etherton. His work has been presented on BBC Radio 4 and other radio stations, as well as on television. Through musicals, his work has been presented nationally and internationally, including New Zealand, Israel and the United States.
Dreyfus is being presented at the E.M. Forster Theatre in Tonbridge, Kent on Saturday 28th January 2023 at 7:30 p.m., the day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Tickets are £12, £10 concessions with a student rate of £8. A free full coloured booklet will accompany each ticket. Further details can be obtained from www.emftheatre.com or ringing 07549 830906
Statement of Faith
We believe in:
- One creator God in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- That everyone has sinned and is in need of God’s forgiveness in order to be saved from the eternal consequences of that sin.
- That God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth, who was God in human form, lived a perfect life and was put to death on a cross. That He was raised from the dead, met with some of His followers and then returned to heaven.
- His death was the punishment of our sins. Through repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ we can know our sins are forgiven and be restored to a right relationship with God.
- That God sent His Holy Spirit to give new life and be the source of power and guidance to those who obey Him.
- That in His perfect timing, He will reconcile both Jew and Gentile under Jesus Christ.
- That Jesus will return to earth one day in power and glory, and be recognised for who He truly is, God’s Son and the Saviour of the world.
- That the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the handbook for our living.
Bible School Sessions
The Absolute Gospel Company Bible School is designed for those who seek to study the Bible in greater depth, with particular emphasis on linking world events to Biblical prophecy. We seek to equip Christians with good, sound Bible teaching, to help them understand why things are happening and to point them to the hope that is in Jesus the Messiah. We also seek to teach the importance and place of the Jewish people in the purposes of God.
We supply support material such as booklets and charts, as appropriate and sessions are recorded and available on CD. All sessions are free, but if you would like to make a contribution to the work, that would be gratefully received.
Please see our Bible School page for more details and forthcoming sessions.
Choir on Lake Galilee
West End Church, Richmond USA, 1st venue of the Jerusalem musical in the US
Choir at the Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
History
In 1984, husband and wife team Roy and Jenny Etherton founded the Tonbridge Christian Arts Group (TCAG). Over the first five years, the group performed several well-known Christian musicals including ‘The Witness’ and ‘Come Together’.
In 1989, Roy and Jenny began composing original musicals for TCAG, the first being ‘The Lamb’ and the tenth ‘Jerusalem’, first performed in Tonbridge in September 1998. Seven more followed, culminating in 2008 with ‘Yeshua Messiah’. For a full list of productions, see The Musicals.
Approaching the end of the millennium, Roy felt called to take ‘Jerusalem’ to Israel itself. So, at the end of October 2000, a group of 31 from TCAG presented the musical at Christ Church, the oldest Protestant church in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was then performed to a Messianic congregation in Haifa and finally at the Galilee Experience in Tiberias.
Contacts made at Tiberias led to four presentations of ‘Jerusalem’ in the Eastern USA during August 2002: At the West End Assemblies of God Church in Richmond, Virginia; at Bishop Cummins Church, Catonsville, Baltimore, Maryland; at Ruggles Baptist Church in Boston, Mass. and finally an open-air performance in Salem, Mass.
In September 2005, the group returned to Israel, to perform ‘The Olive Tree’ in Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, Tiberias and Haifa.
Roy and Jenny completed the writing of their latest musical, ‘Yeshua Messiah’, early in 2008. Initially it was performed in six churches in and around Tonbridge and one in South Normanton (Derbyshire).
In October 2009, the team travelled once again to Israel, to perform ‘Yeshua Messiah’, in Jerusalem, Be’er Sheva, and Karmiel.
In 2010, Tonbridge Christian Arts Group (TCAG) became The Absolute Gospel Company (TAGC), adopting the motto: “Taking the Word to the World”.
In 2013 Roy and Jenny produced the musical Majesty to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second on 2nd June 1953.
Get Involved!
You too can participate in TAGC. The first and foremost requirement is that you feel called to the work by God and that you support our Statement of Faith. As well as rehearsing, we seek to encourage each other and learn from Scripture, so that we can better understand and give an account of what we feel called to proclaim. We invite those to join us who have gifts in areas such as:
- Solo or choral singing
- Dance, drama or other performing skills
- Sound, lighting, or visual presentation
- Costume design, art-work or other ‘behind the scenes’ work
Or, you may simply wish to be part of the group and attend the prayer, praise and teaching meetings, or just support the work financially (TAGC is a not-for-profit organisation, supported by its members’ subscriptions and by donations). If you’d like to get involved, please email your contact information and area(s) of interest via our contact form.
‘The King is Coming’ featured in
Heart Publications!
“A stunning musical with a prophetic edge” – Heart Publications
