The Rt. Rev. James M. Adams Jr. says he has a ready answer when people ask why he would return to parish ministry after only seven years as a bishop.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever been a bishop, you would know,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 20 some-odd years as a parish priest, I never missed a day of God\u2019s joy,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cBeing a bishop today is not what it once was. It\u2019s more of being an administrator.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Still, Bishop Adams, who has served the Diocese of Western Kansas since 2002, also speaks with clear affection for the Episcopalians he will leave behind in March 2010, when he moves to Lecanto, Fla.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of respect for these people. They have endured and survived every situation that has come their way,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cThey have survived, despite everything that has happened in the church, everything that has happened in the economy and everything that has happened in the world. That says a lot about them and their love of their Lord.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n