Songs and music are keys parts of typical Presbyterian worship services, but exploring why these elements are important can be an interesting lesson.

Singing together unites people across time and boundaries, said the Rev. Carla Pratt Keyes, worship leader at the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators annual event here.

Coming together to sing is an act of compromise: people agree to sing the same lyrics in the same tempo, Keyes said on Jan. 28.

“When we sing together, we join our voices as if joining hands,” forming the body of Christ, she said.

This oneness from singing has long been …