Denzel Washington receives minister's license at New York church

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has added another title to his expansive repertoire: minister.

The actor, producer, and director, 69, was baptized and received a minister's license at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in New York on Saturday, as shared by Archbishop Christopher Bryant in a Facebook post.

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"We celebrate the addition of Minister Denzel Washington into the clergy, having received his minister's license in the Church of God in Christ today, in a truly uplifting moment," wrote Bryant, adding that Kelly Temple is "a place close to [Washington's] heart."

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The actor attended the church as a child and "testified to being filled with the Holy Spirit after visiting another church" with actor Robert Townsend in the 1980s, said Bryant.

Washington, whose father was a pastor for the Church of God in Christ, said the "sky is literally the limit" in remarks toward the end of the ceremony, which was broadcast live on Facebook. He also recalled the time a woman by the name of Ruth Green, who was "known to have the gift of prophecy," had predicted during his younger years that he would "travel the world and preach to millions of people."

"If [God] can do this for me, there's nothing he can't do for you," said Washington.

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The Gladiator II star previously spoke to Esquire last month about his faith, recalling a "powerful" experience at the West Angeles church alongside Townsend back in the '80s after the church offered a "call to the altar" for those who wanted to be "saved." Washington was taken to a "back room," where "they prayed for me."

“I’m thinking, I’m just gonna give it up to God today, whatever that means,” recalled Washington. “And I got back there, and they were praying and telling it to us. I’m hallelujah-ing. I was just feeling. It felt like I was getting lifted up. It felt like my back was arched, and I had my eyes closed. Not that I was going up in the air, but — I can’t exactly describe it. And I was blabbering, and kept blabbering because I was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Washington observed that religion is "not talked about" in Hollywood because "it's not fashionable" nor "sexy," "but that doesn’t mean people in Hollywood don’t believe."

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