If you see your priest or minister walking out of the church this Sunday while you're walking into the church, it might mean you're a redneck - or rather, it might mean you're about to get a red neck or red face, start to sweat, get flushed, start mumbling and then search for as graceful of an exit as possible. But it's past possible.

Forget something? Like the time change?

Not to worry. You're not the first.

The Rev. Patrick Schumacher of St. Joseph's Church in Mandan recalls finishing a past Mass and leaving the church just in time to see arrivals who thought they were there in plenty of time for the Mass, but were actually an hour behind.

"They'll come in, look horrified and then get out of there (fast)," Schumacher joked Wednesday.

They didn't spring forward, apparently.

Springing forward is happening sooner than some people know.

Daylight saving time happens three weeks early this year, beginning at 2 a.m. Sunday, and will end a week later than usual, on Nov. 4, thereby extending it for a month. Congress OK'd the changes to conserve electricity, as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The other thing Schumacher will be dealing with is getting his bells to ring at the right time. The automated board for the bells are programmed for the next 99 years for the time changes. Congress' little change-a-roo is putting a little ding in the church towers' ding-dongs.

He'll either reset them, a pain, and then re-reset them, and set them again, or he might shut off the system and ring them manually.

Meanwhile, while he's trying to make that decision, hotels like Days Inn are gearing up. Time changes for them mean that on that first morning, Sunday, they'll have to start making a round of calls at 10:30 a.m. to those guests who haven't checked out yet. To those people who probably think they still have a lot of time to check out when they actually don't. The inn's general manager, Sarah Sable, said they typically don't charge people, though, who have forgotten about the time change.

There very possibly could be a few people forgetting.

The Tribune wondered about that, so wandered through the city's shopping malls recently, trying to put a finger on forgetfulness.

The simple question asked to the unaware masses:"What happens very very early this Sunday morning?"

One man mulled briefly and then knew, maybe knew. Well, no.

"Easter?" Dustin Richholt, 24, of Bismarck, answered.

Others, even though they knew it was early in the morning, guessed such things as sporting events, concerts, a winter storm, sunrise, eclipse, getting over a hangover, St. Paddy's Day.

Amanda Konold, 20, thought she probably should have known. She's a meteorology major at the South Dakota School of Mines &Technology. But she guessed maybe Sunday had something to do with the church.

Her friends, eating with her at Subway in Kirkwood Mall, had trouble even having a clue.

"No idea," said Holly Bickel, 18, of Mobridge, S.D.

But Helen Arnold at the next table, who admits to being older but declined to share her current age, knew right away. And that was the trend, the older you were, the more you seemed to know. Also, in this unscientific survey, the females were the major victors. In every case, when couples were asked the question, it was the women who spouted out the quick right answer, while the male halves pondered, at a loss.

"Why are the women knowing the answer and the men not?" the Tribune asked one of these at-loss males. He didn't have an answer for that, either.

Nine people were, after much pondering, able to think of the right answer.

And there were people who knew the answer right away - 15 of them. Of the 15 who knew right off the bat the time-change answer, 13 were women.

"I've got six kids; you've got to keep track,"said a mom at Gateway Mall.

And speaking of zoos: At Dakota Zoo, keepers don't expect confusion at the delay in feeding time.

"Monkeys looking at each other saying, 'They really messed up today;' that probably won't happen," said a laughing Rod Fried, assistant zoo director.

Feeding time can vary 20 minutes either way, so the animals probably won't be affected, he said.

But back to Schumacher's situation, feeding time for souls doesn't vary.

Turned your clocks forward, and Sunday you might be saved.

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@;bismarcktribune.com.)