SALT LAKE CITY - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced two days prior to the Thanksgiving holiday it will begin sending monthly messages this week from the First Presidency via email.

Composed in newsletter format, the monthly email will be sent to millions of church members and will be translated into 10 languages.

“This newsletter is part of our effort to find more effective ways to communicate with our growing global membership in order to share timely and valuable messages that can strengthen our love for Jesus Christ, for our families, and for those around us,” reads a press release about the new initiative.

Members of the LDS Church may want to update their member accounts on lds.org to guarantee they receive the newsletter. The email addresses registered on that site are the addresses the newsletter emailing system will use.

Members will also have the opportunity to opt out or unsubscribe from the monthly newsletter should they choose to do so.

The newsletter will, aside from the message from the First Presidency, have two announcements concerning the Christmas season. A greeting and information about the “He is the Gift” initiative and the First Presidency’s Christmas devotional will be included.

“In a world where communication channels are so numerous and fragmented, delivering a message that does not become distorted along the way is increasingly difficult,” said Elder Anthony D. Perkins, a member of the church’s First Quorum of the Seventy, in the Nov. 25 church press release.

“The Church has a unique advantage in that millions of faithful members have entrusted their email address to us,” Perkins said in the release. “We feel the time has come to utilize these personal email addresses to improve the effectiveness of our communications to church members.”

There are several reasons for the creation of the email newsletter program. One purpose is to help members become aware of resources within the church that will strengthen their faith in Christ, bless their families, and provide service to their community, according to Perkins.

The email program could also be used to notify members during emergency situations or for matters of urgent importance to the First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.