A Presentation to

Vision Video , Inc.

CBN WorldReach: “Agua Viva” (Living Water)“Agua Viva” (Living Water)

A request for financial support to fund the production, distribution and outreach activities of “Agua Viva,” an evangelistic, children’s television program now broadcast in Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain.

Visit the “Agua Viva” interactive web site (in Spanish) at www.aguavivatv.com.

Presented by:

CBN WorldReach 977 Centerville Turnpike Virginia Beach, VA 23463 Contact: Stuart Bennett (757) 226 2173 E.mail: stuart.bennett@cbn.org

March 8, 2002

Latin America Statistics Regions: Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America Language: Spanish Estimated CBN Audience: 20 million in 1999

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

“Agua Viva” Proposal

Addendums:

“Agua Viva” Budget “Agua Viva” episode descriptions

Introduction to “Agua Viva”

CBN WorldReach has an exciting evangelistic outreach that is now impacting Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and Costa Rica. “Agua Viva” (Living Water) is a project that incorporates a children’s television program, live theatrical events and humanitarian aid. With entertainment and teaching that the whole family will enjoy, the “Agua Viva” productions are specifically designed to capture the attention of Latin American children ages three and older. The weekly, 30-minute television program (produced in Spanish) teaches social skills and moral values from a biblical perspective. “Agua Viva” offers a great opportunity for CBN to follow Christ’s command to “go into all the world,” winning the hearts and minds of Latin American children to Jesus Christ by sharing biblical principles in a fun and appealing way. Some time ago, CBN WorldReach had invested over $750,000 in creating 41 original episodes of the “Agua Viva” television series, including a Christmas and Easter special. Each episode has two versions: one includes a prayer of salvation at the end of each episode and is intended for most Latin American markets. The other version, tailored to a Cuban audience, does not include the prayer of salvation, because to include it would make the TV program appear overtly religious to the Cuban government who would forbid it from appearing on Cuba’s airways. According to a recent survey, in the Latin American countries impacted by “Agua Viva,” a total of 14,605,000 individuals watched a CBN-produced TV program during the Year 2000. In addition, the survey reports that in the same year 2,791,000 of these viewers prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.1 In order to retain and grow “Agua Viva’s” audience, CBN WorldReach must produce new episodes of the TV program to keep it fresh and effective. There are other Latin American nations that need “Agua Viva” too. In fact, CBN WorldReach plans on replicating the “Agua Viva” program in 9 other countries during 2001 and 2002. We also plan on making it available to the US Hispanic population.

History of CBN WorldReach

When The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) was founded in 1960, Pat Robertson was hoping the signal from his little television station would at least reach across the city limits of Portsmouth, Virginia. He never anticipated that by 1999 CBN would be broadcasting programs to 155 countries in over 64 languages, and be a major force in providing global, humanitarian relief and church planting.

In the fall of 1995, CBN WorldReach was launched with an ambitious evangelistic goal of reaching three billion people with the Gospel. During the 1990’s, over 144 million people accepted Christ through CBN’s television, radio programming, literature, video and audiocassettes. Today, CBN WorldReach has more than 200 WorldReach centers located in nine regions of the world: Latin America, Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, Southeast Asia, China and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). These centers combine media ministry, humanitarian relief, discipleship, and cell church planting. Partnering with local

1 The survey is part of an independent study to determine the overall reach and effects of CBN’s international programming for year 2000. The study covers the time period from October, 1999 to October, 2000 and was conducted by Brown, Fraser & Associates, Chesapeake, Virginia.

churches and other ministries worldwide allows for a more effective outreach in delivering hope and humanitarian aid. This also maximizes financial resources in order to reach those in need. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 2 In order that CBN WorldReach’s mission and goals would be realized, programming that allows the global delivery of both the Gospel and humanitarian aid were developed. A few of these initiatives are:

AFRICA: AIDS outreach for children and families; medical supplies distribution; regularly scheduled, original, Christian television programming, and Gospel media blitzes in multiple African nations. INDIA: Fresh water well projects; cleft palate and general surgeries; relief operations; original, Christian television programming, including a highly-rated children’s program “Reach for a Rainbow.” CIS (Ukraine and Russia): Cell church planting; back-to-school programs; soup kitchens; medical missions; original, Christian television programming including “SuperBook,” a Bible-based program that is the highest-rated children’s program in the former Soviet Union. CHINA: Disaster relief; medical missions; orphanages; foster homes; and regularly scheduled, original, Christian television programming. INDONESIA: Feeding programs; disaster relief; community development; original, Christian television programming including “Solusi,” a CBN-produced, indigenous program airing to the largest Muslim population in the world. LATIN AMERICA: Feeding programs; a home for handicapped children; clergy and counselor training; original, Christian television programming including “Agua Viva,” a fun and unique weekly series for children; prison outreaches, where imprisonment often becomes a family affair when children are forced to live with their imprisoned mothers.

Today, through CBN WorldReach’s global evangelism campaign, millions of men, women and children are hearing the Gospel by means of mass media, humanitarian outreach and cell church planting. CBN WorldReach’s goal is to help win 500 million souls to Jesus Christ. As of January, 2000, 184 million people are known to have made decisions for Christ – due in part to CBN’s programs and outreaches – and the fields are still ripe for God’s Harvest! Strictly Confidential Strictly Confidential –– “Agua Viva”“Agua Viva” Cuba Cuba We ask those who may read this proposal to please refrain from discussing “Agua Viva” Cuba outside of your foundation or organization. An historic breakthrough occurred for CBN WorldReach and the island of Cuba in 2000 when, for the first time, Christian programming began broadcasting on Cuban national airways. The spiritual impact is beyond estimation in this communist country, where pastors are astounded that a Christian program is reaching their nation. “Agua Viva” is broadcast via Cuban national television at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. After only the second broadcast of the TV program in Cuba, feedback came from children and adults alike who were thoroughly excited about what they had seen and wanted to see more. Recently, the “Agua Viva” audio cassettes have made such an impact that they are now being transmitted on Cuban radio. In a media environment that is controlled by the government, children and adults

finally have an opportunity to see and hear an uplifting program that teaches biblical values, and moves them closer to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 3

“…We have been evaluating the effectiveness of your “Agua Viva” evangelistic children’s

television program in Cuba. Our evaluation included interviews with pastors…. I am happy to report that, without exception, “Agua Viva”… is considered to be the most effective,

nationwide, evangelistic project taking place in the country…. As experts in issues dealing with Cuba’s religion and civil society, we are without enough words to thank you for your

wonderful gift to the people of Cuba.” National Executive Director Evangelical Christian ministry in Cuba

(Identity concealed for protection) Placing a Christian program in primetime on a Cuban national television network is not an easy task. In the past, CBN has made many attempts to get other programs on the air in Cuba without success. It wasn’t until CBN WorldReach produced a children’s television series with Mana Productions in Mexico that things began to change. The producer, Gerardo Paz, took “Agua Viva” to Cuba, patiently developed relationships with decision-makers at Cuba TV, and was used by God to place the program on the air. Thanks to Gerardo Paz, Cuban authorities have expressed an interest in permitting two “Agua Viva” theatrical “mega” events in Havana and Santiago. These events would be held in the largest venues in Cuba and fashioned after the smaller live events, but reach thousands more. In Cuba and other Latin American countries, “Agua Viva” is in danger of going off of the air permanently, unless we can secure the funds to produce new episodes of this revolutionary children’s program. CBN WorldReach is working to meet that need before Cuban officials lose interest in broadcasting the program. As you can imagine, Cuban leaders do not consider CBN to be friendly to their country. The Cuban government does not know that “Agua Viva” is a program of CBN WorldReach, and if they did, the program would be quickly removed from Cuban airways and public squares. Therefore, CBN is not able to mention “Agua Viva” on its flagship television program, “The 700 Club,” or through mass mailing, making it difficult to raise funds to keep “Agua Viva” alive. Some Background on Cuba

“The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property.”

Karl Marx, founder of Communism There are approximately 11 million people living in Cuba. Since the 1958 revolution, the role of religion in Cuba’s Communist society has become relatively insignificant with 55% having no particular religion; 40% Roman Catholic; 3% Protestant; and 2% Jewish. On average, Cubans attain a seventh-grade education.2

2 Statistics obtained from Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia, 1999 and MSN Expedia.com, 2001

Millions of Cubans consider themselves to be atheist. Few of them would consider themselves devout Catholic. Most Cubans practice African cult worship known as Yoruba, Palo Monte and Abakuas. They worship gods of fire, lightening, war, love, and sensuality. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 4 According to the U.S. Department of State’s “1999 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” The Cuban Constitution states “that print and electronic media are state property. The Communist Party controls all media as a means of indoctrinating the public.” The same report states that Cuban law punishes any unauthorized assembly of more than three persons, including those for religious services in a private home. Add to that the Cuban government’s ban on the building of new churches, and you have a situation where citizens are forced to violate Cuban law by meeting to worship in private homes. The report also testifies that Cuba “prohibits members of the armed forces from allowing anyone in their household to observe religious practices.” Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior “actively engages in efforts to control and monitor the country’s religious institutions, including surveillance, infiltration, and harassment of religious professionals and laypersons.”

“Politics needs morality, which means politics needs religion.” 3 Stephen Carter, Professor Yale Law School In Cuba and throughout Latin America, children are at high risk due to increasing economic and social problems that are affecting family strength and moral values. These are environments where a television program can have a profound and lasting influence. Television programs like “Agua Viva” open the door for children and their parents to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Beyond Latin America Another major breakthrough recently occurred with “Agua Viva.” TV Reus in Tarragona, Spain is now airing “Agua Viva” episodes and other CBN-produced television programs. In the past, this region of the world has been opposed to broadcasting evangelical Christian programming.

Evangelistic Outreach Opportunities

“Agua Viva” Events An amazing outcome of the “Agua Viva” broadcast has been the development of a children’s theatrical outreach using the live characters of “Agua Viva” to preach the gospel to masses of children. The outreach is also used to distribute humanitarian aid.

These events can reach up to 10,000 children at a time and are designed to help them learn more about Jesus Christ using creative skits, puppet shows, comedy, dance, mime and interactive activities such a contests, musical numbers and drawing displays to portray and teach godly character. In addition, a live presentation of the salvation theme is presented during each crusade using the “Agua Viva” characters. The event is publicized to all school-age children throughout the outreach area and targets needy children and families, including the handicapped and neglected. At the end of each crusade a salvation call is made and evangelistic literature is

3 From Stephen Carter’s book, “God’s Name in Vain”

distributed to each child. Area churches remain available with follow-up for these children by offering Sunday school classes nearby. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 5 Here are some recent examples of the powerful impact that “Agua Viva” events are having on children and parents: In Cuba, an “Agua Viva” event in January, 2001 entertained and ministered to 230 children, with 54 of them receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. The next day “Agua Viva” ministered to 130 children in a Cuban hospital, with 100% of them surrendering their hearts to Jesus. During March, 2001, approximately 1700 people attended “Agua Viva” events, with 238 people receiving the Lord as a direct result.

In May of 2000, an “Agua Viva” event took place in Quevedo, Ecuador that resulted in over 4500 children hearing the Gospel at the Wellington Chang Coliseum. It has been estimated that 3600 of these children received the Lord that day − that’s over 85% of the children in attendance! The CBN WorldReach Program Director in Ecuador, Dr. Amara Benites, said, “I don’t know how to express my gratitude to the Lord for the blessing we have received in doing this project.” “Agua Viva” events have also taken place in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico. CBN WorldReach’s goal is to replicate this program in at least 5 other cities in Latin America during 2001 and 2002.

Feeding ProgramsFeeding Programs CBN WorldReach is committed to implementing outreaches that minister to the physical and spiritual needs of Latin American people. Here are some recent examples of this work: CBN WorldReach has opened lunchrooms that provide approximately 300 meals a week to the poorest families in Havana, Cuba. This nutrition project began with the collaboration of three active churches that have organized these special events to feed children wholesome meals with milk, and present the Gospel using the “Agua Viva” program videos. On January 6, 2001, CBN WorldReach partnered with Operation Blessing to minister to the needs of almost 300 children in Mexico by distributing candy and gifts, and entertaining them with a live “Agua Viva” stage presentation. In Quito, Ecuador 122 people suffering extreme poverty were given food and other needed items during an April, 2001 outreach. Pediatric Hospital VisitsPediatric Hospital Visits In spite of its economic struggles, Cuba has a strikingly high number of doctors when compared to other countries. This high number has even become a prideful fact of the revolution. Even though there are so many doctors and hospitals, the majority of them lack sufficient equipment and medicines. The Pediatric Hospital in Havana has dozens of children who are waiting for treatment and others who are only waiting to die. Responding to this serious need, CBN

WorldReach has designed a program called "Bendecid a los niños" (Bless the Child), which focuses on visiting these children in the hospital to bring them a smile and the love of God. Working together with a local church, the youth group performs theater presentations of “Agua Viva.” Using the costumes of the characters, the young people present the Gospel in a creative and touching way, leaving the children with gifts and candy afterwards. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 6

Long Term Impact and Global Benefit from “Agua Viva”

Some Latin American countries are unstable, and volatile to coups d’etat. Rogue, militaristic groups terrorize the countryside of some nations. In Columbia, for instance, these groups are often commanded by illegal and very wealthy drug cartels. The extreme poverty suffered by many Latin Americans leaves them disenfranchised and powerless to protect themselves and have a voice in government. A recent study by the Independent Sector reports that U.S. “households that regularly attended worship services gave and volunteered at a higher rate than those with limited religious participation.” The activities that received the most attention by religious congregations were human services, health and international programs. The same study reported that religious congregations also engage in activities that influence public policy.4 With this study in mind, it can be assumed that the spread of religion and the growth in the number and size of congregations would have a positive and lasting impact on societies. The reason may be, in part, because faith empowers individuals to overcome obstacles and be actively involved in their communities. Television remains the medium with the most potential to reach the masses, and have a consistent impact on the lives of children and adults. Consider the recent Brown, Fraser and Associates survey which finds that 98.4% of households in Ecuador have a television, spending an average of 17.4 hours per week watching TV. 12.9% of the households with televisions have seen the “Agua Viva” television program.5 CBN WorldReach’s “Agua Viva” program is “edu-tainment” at its best. The program entertains while educating children on how to live their lives according to principles taught in the Bible. It is an effective way of changing attitudes and behaviors, ultimately impacting the future leaders of the Latin American countries where it is broadcast. So that other ministries and organizations may benefit, CBN will continue to gather pertinent data on “Agua Viva’s” impact on Latin America, sharing the results and the knowledge gained.

CBN is Uniquely QualifiedCBN is Uniquely Qualified

God has blessed CBN with a powerful television presence that stretches around the globe. Our strong identity and ability to reach millions of people in different languages, combined with

4 From the Independent Sector study “America’s Religious Congregations: Measuring Their Contribution to Society,” November, 2000. 5 The survey is part of an independent study to determine the overall reach and effects of CBN’s international programming for year 2000. The study covers the time period from October, 1999 to October, 2000 and was conducted by Brown, Fraser & Associates, Chesapeake, Virginia.

CBN’s church planting and humanitarian relief programs makes for a well-rounded ministry with potential to do much more. With 40 years experience producing top-notch Christian TV programs and 24 years providing humanitarian services, no other ministry may be positioned to get the results that CBN has been achieving with God’s help. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 7 According CBN WorldReach’s Program Director in Ecuador, Dr. Amara Benites, “Agua Viva” is achieving a growing audience among Ecuadorian children. The children are responding by sending letters and drawings of what they have learned from the program. The most compelling testimonies come from the children of incarcerated women, who are forced to stay in jail alongside their mothers. They too, are writing to ask for materials, posters or other items we can give to them about “Agua Viva.” Testimonies are also coming in from adults. This television program is an alternative to the violence and occult activity that is evidenced in the majority of programming. Most of the children and their parents who respond to the “Agua Viva” TV program comment that they would like to see it broadcast daily, rather than weekly.

Program Funding and Sustainability

Because of our Cuban ministry and the need for confidentiality, CBN is not able to mention “Agua Viva” on its flagship television program, “The 700 Club,” or through mass mailing. This makes it difficult to raise individual donations for the program. The CBN WorldReach staff continues to meet with Latin American businesses and churches to build relationships leading to long-term support for the “Agua Viva” program. Government policies and human rights practices in Cuba and other countries may curtail this process, causing a continued need for some financial support from foundations until matters improve.

Program Evaluation

To CBN, the success of “Agua Viva” is measured in the number of lives that are impacted by the total program. Periodically, CBN will employ an independent research firm to conduct telephone surveys in the countries where we are working. These surveys usually seek data on people’s familiarity with, and attitude toward CBN programs, as well as the impact that programs are having on individuals, families, and communities. For instance, in a 1999 study conducted by Brown, Fraser & Associates, over 82.5 million people from 12 benchmark countries indicated that CBN programs had a positive influence on them. In the report, CBN’s Mexican audience numbered 1,929,000 with 594,000 reporting a positive influence from CBN programs and 124,000 praying to receive Christ as a result. CBN will be conducting a similar survey to measure the impact of “Agua Viva,” as well as tabulating the responses received via mail and through the program’s live events.

An Appeal to Partner with CBN Through weekly “Agua Viva” broadcasts, the theatrical presentations and the related outreaches, CBN WorldReach is striving to fulfill “the Great Commission” by bringing the message of Christ’s love, hope, and forgiveness to millions of households in Latin America. In order to ensure that the “Agua Viva” broadcasts will continue uninterrupted, new episodes must be

created to keep audiences coming back for more. For now, CBN must produce 26 new episodes to broadcast weekly throughout 2001 and 2002. Just as important as CBN WorldReach’s desire to continue the program is our goal to replicate “Agua Viva” in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Columbia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Peru, Honduras, and Panama. We are working to make it available to the US Hispanic population and Puerto Rico as well. CBN WorldReach “Agua Viva” Proposal Page 8 Because of the sensitive nature of “Agua Viva” Cuba, CBN will not jeopardize its Cuban ministry and the safety of its staff and volunteers by making public appeals for financial support. We must rely on grants from corporations and foundations, and the professionalism of their employees to keep the “Agua Viva” Cuba program confidential. That is why The Christian Broadcasting Network respectfully asks Vision Video, Inc. for assistance in raising the $260,000 needed to produce the next thirteen episodes of the “Agua Viva” program. Please partner with us in this very important work. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. In the Master’s service, Stuart Bennett Director of Resource Development