NEW YORK -- Denzel Washington, one of the most popular and successful actors over the past three decades, took on a new role Sunday ... minister.

TMZ reports Washington, 69, was baptized Saturday at Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in New York and also received his minister's license. The baptism included a ceremony in which Washington was fully immersed in water.

"In one week I turn 70," he said, according to a report from Page Six. "It took a while but I'm here. If [God] can do this for me, there's nothing He can't do for you. The sky literally is the limit."

According to People, Washington began his religious pursuit after a "life-changing" experience at a church in Los Angeles, saying he was "filled with the Holy Spirit." He wrote about the experience in an essay for Esquire.

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

This doesn't mean Washington is walking away from his acting career. He's currently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in "Gladiator II." Washington has won two Oscars during his long career, for Best Supporting Actor in 1989's "Glory" and Best Actor in 2001's "Training Day."