Charity or Rudeness?

I have not been blogging for sometime due to work and other situations. The other day while sitting on the front porch drinking coffee on a warm December day, one of my neighbors stopped by for a visit. We chatted about the weather here in Missouri where one day it can be a very cold 30 degrees and the next day up in the 60's. We also inquired about each others health being the senior citizens we are.

As my neighbor sipped his coffee, he said, "Preacher, have you heard about the fiasco over at that little church on the corner?" To which I replied, "No." He proceed to tell me the story. It seems the choir and others were going Christmas caroling on a Sunday evening to various homes and afterwards to an adult only party.

The hostess had sent out invitations to a select group of the carolers or inviting them personally with the stipulation that no children or teens were to attend.

Well, it seems that on the night of the caroling, a couple with children joined the carolers. Let's just say for the sake of charity that this is a family down on its luck and whom the church has helped throughout the year. Helping them with food and other household items such as laundry soap and personal hygiene products. However, it seemed as though the personal hygiene products were not used as the body odor lingered in the air and at times made the persons standing next to them cough and gag. However, Christianity charity prevailed and no one said a word to the couple or the children.

Once the caroling was over, the invited couples ventured over to the gated community where the party was being held. The other carolers went to their homes. The party was barley underway when the doorbell rang. It was the pastor and his wife with the needy family. The children scampered in heading right for the buffet table. They began to handle the food, tasting some and putting others back on the table. The hostess and the other guest were astonished at their behavior.

The pastor said to the hostess, "We didn't think you would mind us bring this family as it is the Christian thing to do." Before she could reply, the mother and the teenage daughter were seen going into her bedroom by another guest who politely told them it was "off limits." Needless to say, the party was ruined by the behavior of the children and the adults with them. Their body odor was more pungent than during the caroling. The invited guests, who were trying to be nice, could barley stand to be near the couple or the children as they continued to dash throughout the house and piling their plates high with food from the table as well as leaving beverage glasses throughout the house.

My neighbor asked, "Preacher do you think the pastor and his wife did the right thing?" "No, I replied, "he as an invited guest knew that no children or uninvited guest should have been there. He embarrassed the hostess and the other invited guest by bringing them." To which my neighbor replied, "In my day, such persons were known as party crashers. And, I bet Dear Abby would agree with me that it was just plain rude."

For the record, I think it was rude as well. What's your opinion?