Why I got baptized

A video of my baptism and a description of what my baptism means.
Also, below in the description and continued in the comments is the email I sent to my mostly LDS family and friends announcing my baptism:

Hey Family,
I wanted to let you all know that I'm getting baptized! Yep, weird huh? I think most of you know a little about my faith journey over the past couple of years, and without getting into all of that I will just say that there is a new feeling about it all that I want to celebrate and acknowledge. I know that you all might have a bunch of "what about" questions and this probably seems crazy, and rather than trying to provide answers to those questions before you ask them, I'll just say what this baptism thing is for me.
Baptism is a public declaration of faith. I'm doing it because I want to say to Jesus and all the people I love that I'm with Him, and I want to say it in the way He prescribed. He called the Church His bride which seems weird, but when people have asked why I want to do this, it is something like a marriage ceremony as opposed to just living quietly in a relationship with God.
There are a couple things this baptism is not:
This is not me snubbing the LDS faith, my 8 year old baptism, or all of the amazing people inside and outside my family that have served and taught me that faith. I have a great life, and that has all been a part of it that I am very grateful for. There is so much beauty and goodness in the LDS church, as well as real faith in Jesus Christ..... continued in comments below.

[scottbryner]

Baptism announcement letter to my family continued from description...
That said, there are obviously some areas of disagreement in foundational doctrines that I feel are significant enough to point me in another direction.
This baptism is not about me joining another church organization- not really. The church I go to is called Washington Heights Church. It's non-denominational that one day could go out of business, and that would be okay in the grand scheme of things. I believe what they teach- that the real "church" exists in the relationship we have individually with God. To me, it's what Christ was telling the woman at the well about when He said the day was coming when those who worship Him would do it in Spirit and in truth rather than through the Jewish faith that she wasn't all that welcome in as a Samaritan. The building, pastors, volunteers, etc. are all just things to help teach, celebrate, socialize, worship, pray, serve, etc. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of depth there too that I find spiritually fulfilling, but membership is not stressed, and they teach that it has nothing to do with salvation. The way one pastor explained it to me was that baptism was confirming and celebrating the vertical relationship of trust and faith between a person and God, and membership is more about the horizontal relationship one has with the organization.


If you're still wondering what the heck kind of church I've gotten into and want to see what it would be like if you decide to come, here is a link to their website and also one to the service this past Sunday which includes a baptism and their version of a baby blessing:

I am happy to talk to each of you about the "what about" questions you might have. This isn't a decision I've come to lightly, and I've considered and searched a lot of things over the past couple of years. I never thought my journey would lead me here. I'm also happy to not talk about it. I look up to each of you in big ways, and while this journey is hard and awesome, I feel like it's been specific for me, and I know each of you are on your own hard and awesome paths. Above all, I love you all. We have an awesome family.

Love, Scott

[Fall]

I love it. It’s an amazing outward expression to share with the body of Christ, the church.