Denzel Washington, the celebrated actor with a ton of awards for his roles that have garnered billions in the Box Office, now has a new role: as a minister after receiving his minister’s license this past weekend.
As he nears his 70th birthday, just days away, Washington was not only baptized, but became a minister in a ceremony at a church in New York.
The Oscar-winning actor, who is now appearing in the latest blockbuster movie, Gladiator II, was baptized on Saturday at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in Harlem, New York City, affiliated to the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ denomination. The service was livestreamed on Facebook, showing Washington, wearing a white robe, being immersed in the church’s ritual pool and being presented with a certificate of baptism. Mentioning he is about to turn 70 on 28 December, Washington told the congregation: “It took a while, but I’m here…If [God] can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you,” Washington said.