Vaguely disgruntled

I think I would have stuck it out but never returned - or depending on how I was feeling - say something along the lines of 'Oh, this is unexpected. It's not really me', thank the hostess and then left.

I got caught in a pyramid scheme for cleaning products after being pleased to have been invited to a get together, really annoying and cross I had been duped.

Does this friend of a friend have an affiliation with a certain church? Sounds like this was a premeditated recruitment drive poorly disguised as an innocuous tea party.
Who on earth carries religious leaflets around with them to distribute at a neighbourly function. The fact that there was a representative on each table shouts of desperate recruitment tactics. Glad you politely declined.

phoenix, here I was thinking that at least if you were invited to a Tupperware party you knew you should take your purse, and there you are taking the less respectable option. Tut tut.

I'm a church-goer, but would be horrified if I was put in that position, Eglantine19. I think that is a quite unacceptable intrusion on your privacy and the fact that it is in the name of religion doesn't excuse it. At least Jehovah's Witnesses will go away if you tell them you're not interested, or you can shut the door. Being stuck at your hostess's table is not the same thing at all

It's a rather unpleasant thing to do imo. Our children were pleased when some friends from school were allowed to come here to play. All went well but a couple of hours in, the 3 visiting children produced various leaflets and tried to persuade us to become Jehovah's Witnesses. The children were aged 6 - 9 at this time. My children went to Church and Sunday school, were in the Brownie group locally. They had never been evangelised before and were uncomfortable when they came to tell me.
The children's parents arrived and continued the attempt to involve us in their faith. We were polite but said it wasn't for us that we went to our local CofE Church. Needless to say, our children weren't invited back and future invitations to this group were ignored.
Pyramid selling, Ann Summers, Tupperware, Avon - you know what you're getting into but a summer tea party in the garden, with 3 tables and an opportunity to wear a summer frock, what a rotten thing to do to your guests.

I would have been put out. This seems rather like the soft side of how they used to sell apartments in Spain. If you had been told it was for them to peddle their faith (I am sure they would have put it more tastefully) you could have made the decision to go or not on the basis. Otherwise you were conned and go away with the reinforced view that there is no such thing as a free afternoon tea.

What sort of church/faith do they belong to (just being nosy). It sounds more American then British.

That sounds like a fun tea party to me phoenix

phoenix

Can I have an invite to Phoenix's next party? Much more m kind of thing!
Thanks everyone. I'm over it now. Wonderful what a few people on Gransnet can do!

Many many years ago I did host a Tupperware party and my new husband (a medical houseman) was inevitably there. He caused a bit of a stir among the ladies when the much-vaunted free plastic gift was produced by the rep (heaven knows what it was) and my OH said it looked like something to hold your uterus up!

Thanks for the responses to my rather frivolous post!

I suppose that if such an occasion did occurr, and there was a guest of a sort of "maiden aunt" disposition, they might be persuaded that the item was designed to put a froth on your cappuccino

I once went to an old school reunion and as we were all about to leave one old girl, who is very religous ( both her father and her son were clergymen) suddenly made a littld speech, saying " you've all heard that my husband is very ill. I just don't know how we would have got through these last few months without our faith" Then she handed out some religous tracts, which made manh of us uncomfortable, but of course nobody actually objected . We felt sorry thar her husband was ill ( he died soon after) and we all knew she had a strong faith which must have helped her when she was bereaved. Even so, I don't think she should have brought her little leaflets to that reunion. It was inapropriate and made most of us uncomfortable.

Sorry about the typos. Fat fingers.

I would have been livid!

Dgd1's best friend is from a very evangelical family who invite people to bbqs at there house and then try to persuade them to join their church. How to explain the issues involved to an 8 year old.

I suppose it all depends on how religious you are yourself OP.If an atheist /agnostic/a different religion then I can see you would be put out.If you are a practising Christian anyway, you may have been surprised but not bothered by it.So, it does depend, obviously, but I do see an underhand element anyway about it.Never mind, you won't be going back, and you had cake.??

It's nothing to do with religion surely lemongrove. If you are invited for tea and it turns out someone is selling something you should have been told.

Yes, of course, but if you were a practising Christian am guessing it wouldn't bother you unduly.You might even join in.

Well generally speaking I can see some things that make sense to me in all religions and some things that don't. I'm not sure what that makes me but I've been quite happy to participate in a number of things Ive been invited to like Christenings, Passover or Diwali. So I didn't know why this "ruffled" me. I think Bluebell put her finger on it. I thought I'd been invited for my perfectly lovely self and found out I was just a potential recruit. Ah the blow to my ego

Awww! ?

Lemongrove of course it would bother you church is not supposed to be decisive and cunning makes it worse if anything

Another thing to put down to experience.

It wouldn't bother me BlueBelle I would be surprised but not bothered. We are all different.

Sorry deceitful not decisive

If it just came up in conversation and one person chose to give their views, I'd think that was all right. But arranging it, as they did, seems sneaky whatever the topic was - religion, politics, a charity, a local club.....

For 30 + years l was a fully involved member at church, including leading prayer and Bible groups, but would never have tried to evangelize as OP's host did and would have felt uncomfortable myself in that situation so l don't think it is just a matter of religious or not. Rather, the sense of false pretence would have annoyed/ saddened me too and to be held captive because of the occasion ...yuk! Phoenix ... on form tonight .