CBN’S FAITHWIRE: As the faith world continues to celebrate the life of Pastor Jack Hayford, a renowned preacher and the founder of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California, who died Jan. 8, at the age of 88, a well-known Hollywood writer and producer is sharing Hayford’s impact on his family. Brian Bird, co-creator of the popular TV show “When Calls the Heart” and a veteran film and TV writer, told CBN’s Faithwire about his family’s meaningful relationship with Hayford. As it turns out, Bird’s grandfather, Pastor Vincent Bird, was a spiritual father of sorts to Hayford. Bird said his grandpa, a lifelong preacher, even ended up working for Hayford after his retirement. “When [my grandpa] retired … Jack Hayford invited him to come on staff at Church on the Way as the pastor to seniors,” Bird said. “Because my grandpa was a mentor to Jack when Jack was … first coming up through Life Bible College.” Bird said his father, Robert, was also at Life Bible College at the same time Hayford attended, and added there was a “real sense of brotherhood,” especially considering the familial connections. And that relationship only grew over the years. “He was a really a Billy Graham’s kind of figure in our world. He really was he was that influential,” he said of Hayford. “All all his books and his music that he wrote over the years … there’s a lot of people in heaven because of Jack right.” Download the free CBN News App: http://cbnnews.com/app SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: http://youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline/?s…
