Denzel Washington marked a significant milestone in his spiritual journey over the weekend.

Denzel Washington is now a minister. Credit: Kristy Sparow / Getty

On Saturday, December 21, the 69-year-old Gladiator II star was baptized at Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in Harlem, New York City.

The ceremony, attended by a supportive congregation, was live-streamed by the First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Eastern New York on Facebook, capturing the moment Washington received his baptism and later, his certificate of baptism.

In addition to being baptized, Washington was presented with a minister license, an honor that positions him to be ordained in the future.

Credit: First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ ENY

Reflecting on the momentous occasion, Washington spoke with humility about officially committing to his faith community later in life.

“In one week I turn 70,” he shared. “It took a while, but I’m here.”

The actor also recounted a powerful story from his youth, describing a fateful encounter at his mother’s beauty parlor when he was 20 years old.

“She said, ‘Boy, you are going to travel the world and preach to millions of people,’” Washington recalled of Ruth Green, a woman he met that day. “She wouldn’t even spell the word prophecy. My mother wrote the word prophecy… 50 years later, look at God. If He can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you.

“The sky literally is the limit and there’s no limit to the sky.”

Washington’s wife, Pauletta Washington, was present for the service, offering her support from the congregation. He credited her as a cornerstone of his journey, calling her his “loving, faithful wife.”

“To God be the glory. Hallelujah!” Washington proclaimed during the service. “Anything I can do, I will do for this church, the Almighty. I just want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.”

Washington has long spoken openly about his faith, most recently in a November essay for Esquire. In the piece, he reflected on his spiritual upbringing and how his understanding of God deepened over time.

“Things I said about God when I was a little boy, just reciting them in church along with everybody else, I know now,” he wrote. “God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses.”

Credit: First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ ENY

He also recalled a transformative moment at West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, a place he discovered through actor and director Robert Townsend.

Washington wrote about his commitment to spreading the word of God, saying, “It’s my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me.”

Unfazed by any criticism of his public embrace of faith, Washington declared, “I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“See, talking about the fear part of it—you can’t talk like that and win Oscars,” he added in his essay. “You can’t talk like that and party. You can’t say that in this town.”

With his recent baptism, Washington continues to inspire, demonstrating that faith and purpose can evolve and deepen at any stage of life.