Features
Experiencing life after death
Louisville, Kentucky, USA, rings a bell. That is where the greatest prize-fighter of all time, Mohammad Ali, hails from. And that is also where Leonard Bruce, a noted cancer patient suffered almost interminably. At 24, he was taken into hospital for another cancer operation, the seventh in a series of pain under the knife.
Nigel Blundell wrote about Leonard’s life-after-death experience in his true account titled “CHILLING TRUE TALES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.”
In Leonard’s own words, “I wanted to die. I felt relief that this was going to be my last operation. After eight hours, the anaesthetic was wearing off and the nurses were waiting for me to come round. But I didn’t want to.
“I closed my eyes and waited for death. Suddenly I was floating in midair, looking down at my body lying on the wheeled hospital cart. All around me doctors and nurses were working frantically. I actually said goodbye to my body as I turned away towards a bright light. I felt relaxed, out of pain and really happy for the first time in years.
COMMAND
“I felt, rather than saw people around me. Somehow I knew they were my friends. They seemed to be drawing me along with them into the clouds. Then I felt something stop me dead in my tracks. A male voice, authoritative but mellow, commanded, “Do not go further, my son have things for you to do?” “I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a nurse, her hand to her mouth in amazement, saying, “He’s back! He’s awake!”
Leonard adds: “My friends nowadays ask me why I am so calm and why I don’t worry. I tell them with a smile that it is because I do not fear death. I have been to heaven once and it is a wonderful place.”
The account of Owen Thomas is equally mind-titillating. At the age of 20 he was stabbed through the heart and sent to hospital where he had no blood pressure, no pulse, no heartbeat in him. Owen says: “I knew I was dead. But I was approached, as if in a dream, by my brother Christopher who had died 20 years ago. He put his hand on me, pushed me away and said, ‘we don’t want you!’ Then I returned.”
“Similarly, Barney Hayden died and found himself in a beautiful garden full of trees and flowers. His father who had died 15 years earlier was there. He asked him to go back and Bamey saw himself on the hospital bed.
Martin Ford died in 1971 after a heart attack, felt weightless and began to see iridescent lights beckoning him. Helen Nelson died of a heart attack and saw brilliant flashes of light. Durdana Khan died for 20 minutes, saw her grandfather, mother and grandmother and a bright shining light.
Louise Walter of North Carolina died during surgery and saw a bridge with sun-light pouring over it. “On the other side was my father who had died long ago. He was smiling and very happy.”
Why did all these people see bright lights?
Harry Woods, 61, died and remembers being dragged to hell. “No one will ever know the terror I experienced. I don’t know how long I was in that hellish place. But for me it was an eternity. It has completely.”
Helen Womack, 60, died in the fourth in a series of operations, Helen found herself in a group of people and realised soon that it was her turn to give an account of her life. “As I did, I became aware of the Devil standing on my left and Jesus standing on my right. I felt like a child between them…”
BELIEF
Will she follow the Devil to hell or Jesus to heaven? “When I woke up in the recovery room I just cried and cried.”
When yours truly, Kwame Alomele, interviewed the Central Region woman who died and woke up after four days when preparations were completed for her final rites, Ghanaians did not believe the story.
Her description of the joyous feeling and of peace were the high-points of her experience. She was unburdened of all the worries of life and witnessed the punishment given to sinners in what could be described as hell.
When she was coming back to life, she saw a little schoolboy going into eternity. She was puzzled, but under-stood it all when she finally came back to life. The schoolboy had died that day she had returned to life. This suggests that there is a journey in and a journey out.
Many after-life experiences have been documented in developed countries and people actually research into such experiences. In Ghana, and elsewhere, such documentations do not exist.
This article was first published
on Saturday August 27, 2005
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace. The same report found that managers spend an average of four hours per week dealing with conflict, and nearly 25 per cent of people think their managers handle conflict poorly or very poorly.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you’re trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved, here are seven steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
1. Don’t put it off
Facing conflict head-on is hard. However, waiting too long to address it can negatively impact your emotional well-being, focus, and the entire office environment. If you’re feeling angry, letting that emotion fester can also escalate it over time. This can make you less responsive to other points of view and make it harder to resolve the issue.
The sooner you can address the conflict, the better it will be for you, the person you disagree with, and your entire team.
2. Learn all you can about the problem
It’s important to determine the type of conflict you’re dealing with. Begin by considering the cause of the conflict. For example, ask yourself whether someone said something that upset you or if you have emotions of anger and resentment that stemmed from something that happened.
Then try to identify if it’s a task, relationship, value, or team conflict. Once you know what type of conflict it is, you can work to resolve it with specific tactics for that situation.
If you skip this step, you may waste time or escalate the situation further by trying to address issues irrelevant to the real conflict.
3. Actively listen
Listen attentively when people share their side of the story. Active listening is one of the most valuable professional skills you can possess. This type of listening involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also listening to understand their point of view.
No matter your role in conflict, it’s easy to begin sharing your opinion with little regard for the other people involved. However, it’s important to learn about all sides of a disagreement to make well-informed decisions before drawing conclusions.
To reach a resolution, you must step back and prioritize listening over talking. Ultimately, that will encourage the other person to do the same when it’s your turn to speak. –source: betterup.com
Today, I focus on the Temple Of Praise Ministries International (TOP Church) in Helsinki, as I continue my description of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The TOP Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments that must be made known to the public. 
Some history
The Church was established in Finland in September 2016. Since its inception, it has steadily grown both spiritually and numerically, by the grace of God, as disclosed to me by Mr Matthew Anini Twumasi, the Presiding Elder of TOP’s branch in Finland. The TOP Church has other branches across Africa, Europe, and America.
The Church in Finland was founded with a vision to create a welcoming and dynamic community where people could experience God’s love and grace (see, www.topchurchfinland.org). According to Presiding Elder Matthew, the TOP Church operates within a unique environment where Christianity coexists with what is seen as a largely secular society.
Despite this, he submits, there are significant opportunities for outreach, unity, and demonstrating the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
Activities
Church services at the TOP Church are typically held on Sundays for the main worship. In addition, there are mid-week prayer sessions, Saturday prayer services, and a half-night service held on the last Friday of every month. “We also organise quarterly programs”, Elder Matthew added.
His impression of the Church so far has been positive. “It is a vibrant and welcoming community where members are committed to worship, fellowship, and supporting one another in faith”, he stated.
In sum, Elder Matthew said the Church continues to grow by God’s grace. “We remain hopeful and committed to spreading the Gospel, strengthening the faith of our members, and making a positive impact in society”, he continued.
Achievements
The TOP Church has a number of achievements and achievements. Some of the strengths include strong community bonds, cultural diversity, and deep commitment to spiritual growth.
I also remember that during the COVID-19 period, I heard that the TOP Church was one such bodies that hugely supported its members and others to cope with the situation.
According to Elder Matthew, the challenges facing the church include “adapting to cultural differences, engaging the younger generation, expanding outreach in a secular society, and securing a permanent place of worship”.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The TOP Church plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the TOP Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
The Church also has mechanisms in place to support its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them in times of death and funerals.
The Ghanaian community has played a vital role in the growth of the Church. Their strong sense of fellowship, dedication to worship, and active participation have helped build a solid foundation and attract others to the ministry, according to Elder Matthew.
Integration
By its activities, the TOP Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society.
This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process.
The role of migrant associations and groups such as TOP Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
