Jehovah's Witnesses probably didn't show up on your doorstep this weekend.
Instead, they came together to discuss verses from the Bible, get baptized, enjoy full-costume dramas and some "Red Light, Green Light," a game the children played during a break as the Jehovah's Witness District Convention hosted 6,905 people from 47 congregations at the O'Connell Center from Friday to Sunday.
Though UF officials either declined comment or didn't have information about the economic impact, the city that surrounds it has embraced the religious convention, said Nick Belloit, a volunteer in news services from Jacksonville.
The theme for the meeting was "Let God's Kingdom Come," which focused on aspects of the Lord's Prayer. The theme was chosen by the international headquarters.
"Witnesses believe God's Kingdom is a real government in Heaven," Belloit said, "poised to take active control of Earth's management."
There is no clergy for Jehovah's Witnesses, which allows for different viewpoints at meetings.
There were 47 speakers at the meeting, Belloit said.
There was not a collection plate passed around at the District Convention and there never is, he said.
"The biggest thing we do is preach," he said.
It doesn't matter, he added, if it is at a door or in front of thousands at a meeting.
"Volunteers and voluntary contributions are the two keys," he said.
There were cardboard boxes set up for contributions, but admission was free.
The voluntary contributions helped to pay to rent out the O'Connell Center, and Jehovah's Witness workers at the event were volunteers.
Thirty-two Jehovah's Witnesses were baptized on Saturday's portion of the event.
The baptism pool, which was about 10 feet by 6 feet with seven stairs leading to the edge, was just deep enough for someone to help the person submerge in the water to complete the baptism.
To become baptized, Jehovah's Witnesses must have knowledge of what the Bible teaches, engage in public preaching and change their ways to act as the Bible says, Belloit said.
Those who wish to be baptized have the opportunity to do so three times a year, at the District Convention, the Circuit Assembly or Special Assembly.
Between May and September, there are 381 conventions held in 98 cities across America.
There will be another Jehovah's Witness District Convention with the same theme beginning July 29 at the O'Connell Center.
The events will have the same focus as this past weekend's District Convention.
The focus of the July 29 session will be on Matthew 6:10 from the Bible, a declaration that God's Kingdom is a real government.
The theme for July 30 will be "Keep On... Seeking First the Kingdom and His Righteousness," based on Matthew 6:33.
The weekend will conclude July 31 with talks about 2 Peter 1:11.
According to statistics provided by the Jehovah's Witnesses, there are more than 7.5 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide and an expected 1.7 million people in attendance for all of the District Conventions across the country.
The official journal of Jehovah's Witnesses is The Watchtower. It has a circulation of 42.1 million copies and is available in 188 languages, giving the people in more than 107,000 congregations the ability to read it.
Clinton McFadden, 55, a Jacksonville resident who has been a practicing Jehovah's Witness for his whole life, said the convention was similar to his meetings he attends every week at his Kingdom Hall, which is the name the group uses to refer to its places of worship.
The only difference here, he said, was having about 6,900 people in attendance.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe people do not go to hell, McFadden said. He said it's made up.
The religious group also believes that 144,000 people will go to heaven, and the rest of humankind will live on Earth under the previously mentioned government.
But what is the biggest difference between Jehovah's Witness and other religions, at least to McFadden?
"It's the truth," he said.
