Executive producer Brian Bird doesn’t see his hit Hallmark Channel show When Calls the Heart as an evangelistic tool. But, he says, it is a show that stirs up “soul cravings” in its more than 3 million followers, known as “Hearties,” and in turn gives even non-Christians a hunger for the benefits of the gospel.
“My pastor for 25 years, Rick Warren at Saddleback Church, once told me what I was doing was huge because it is breaking down barriers in our culture,” Bird told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of “Greenelines” on the Charisma Podcast Network. “It’s breaking down barriers to the message of the gospel because we are stirring up heart cravings among even nonbelievers that need to be filled.
“We want very much to bring hope, faith and love to the marketplace and the media marketplace and to put it on screens everywhere. The great virtues of Scripture, the truths of Scripture, are truth for everyone—even those who don’t claim Jesus as their Savior or who don’t practice their faith in Christ.
“While we don’t see ourselves as an evangelistic show, our call, I believe, is to stir up deep soul cravings in people using story. God was the first storyteller, and story is soul food. My personal goal is to stir up soul cravings in people who watch our show, and if we’re doing our job, God will do the rest.”
For more about Brian Bird and his new Hallmark series When Hope Calls, listen to this podcast. {eoa}
Janet Perez Eckles 
Abby Trivett