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QUINCY, ILL. -- Friday, December 21, 2012 the Mayan calendar expired.

Saturday, December 22, 2012 it was clear that the end of the calendar did not mean the end of civilization.

Unity of Quincy offers a different explanation to the end of the Mayan calendar.

The progressive Christian group sponsored a Global Birthday Party Saturday night.

The church's celebration was part of a worldwide movement promoting the day as a day of rebirth and renewal, rather than the much-joked-about doomsday.

Unity of Quincy's minister, Ron Fritts, believes this is the real significance of the date.

"We're interpreting it the accurate way, the way the Mayans actually taught it because there's actually nothing in the Mayan teachings or writings that suggest it's the end of the world. In fact I read one Mayan elder who said that's the imagination of people who misread their hieroglyphics," Fritts said.

Many others agree with him. Fritts said he remembers watching a live stream online of a Global Birthday Party celebration in Japan, where they posted flags from countries where they were praying for peace.

The international movement links the end of the Mayan calendar with a chance for a new beginning.