Myles Thomas Tune (Tom) was born in Murray, Kentucky, May 12, 1929.
He joined the Navy at age 16 near the end of WWII and after his time in the
service moved to Nashville, Tennessee.
He had been raised in the Baptist church, but on arrival in Nashville he was
influenced by his wife-to-be, Charlene Porch, for the cause of New Testament
Christianity. Under the influence of preachers like Don Rudd and Don Hinds in
Old Hickory, Tennessee, Tune took some Bible classes at David Lipscomb College until
he had to drop out due to lack of money.
Tune preached in these early years (1954-1958) in Kentucky and Gallatin, Tennessee
where he had a radio program. He used his income as a businessman in Nashville
(he owned an upholstery and antique refinishing shop across the street from the
building of the Madison church of Christ) to finance his preaching.
It was during this time that he became an ardent civil rights advocate. Under the
auspices of the Rayon City church in Old Hickory, Tennessee, Tune began publishing a
paper called The Flame. The Rayon city church held the first integrated tent
meeting in Nashville in August of 1958 with G.P. Holt (of Oklahoma City at the
time) preaching. Tune and his wife Charlene paid for the large tent
themselves and it was used for a variety of tent meetings for several years
after that.
In 1959, Tune moved to California to do local work with the Pleasant Hill
congregation. Though he was working "full-time" with this church, he also
had to do secular work to pay the bills. The Lord blessed him and business was good.
His weekly contribution was in excess of his weekly salary as a preacher. He
once again began publishing a paper, this time known as The Reaper. His
articles on race relations were watershed journalism for that time and much
was accomplished to provide unity among the races in the Church in California.
It was also during this period that he became known as an accomplished
debater.
In 1961, Tune and his family became the first white family to be sent as
missionaries to a foreign land supported entirely by black people. It was
also at this time, just before leaving, that he took his first language course
(Mandarin) and took on the nickname by which most of the brethren know him:
Tom.
In Hong Kong, Tune published a song book allowing English-speaking people to
sing hymns in Chinese -- without even knowing Chinese. This opened the door
to closer relations between the English speaking brethren and the Chinese
brethren. The first church building owned by the brethren was built at a
fishing village in Hong Kong and was one of several congregations Tune
started. He also built a Christian School there.
Tune returned to the States in 1966, his family all but worn out. The strain
of foreign missions, and Tune's consuming commitment to world evangelism
determined the break-up of his marriage. He once again went into business.
In 1972, he became one of the owners of the Christian Chronicle and brought
the paper to Nashville. Tune served as business manager until 1974. It was
during this time that he wrote his first book, Ah Wing's Elizabeth Bernard.
His work was based on hours of recorded interviews with this Christian Lady
while in Hong Kong.
In 1978 Tune opened a business in Little Rock, Arkansas and began to work toward a
dream of returning to China with a boat to reach the normally unreachable
people of the fishing villages. The Lord made him to prosper and he purchased
a 45-foot sailboat which he named the Dorcas Sue in 1979. It was also during
this time that Tune invented a way of fitting eyeglasses in primitive
countries at a cost of only $10 per pair of glasses. During the years that
followed, Tune sailed that boat on mission trips to South America and the
Mediterranean, taking medicine and fitting glasses. When he attempted
to go on and realize his dream of going to China, he was stopped mid-voyage
when his ship was hijacked. From those voyages he wrote three other
books about his missionary journeys.
The ship was later returned, but by that time the struggle had worn him out
physically and financially. He sailed back to the United States to once again
go into business and then back to the mission field.
In 1991, Tune sailed for China once again, this time determined to cross the
pacific. The Lord stopped him at the Cook Islands where he has served for
seven years, fitting glasses under the protection and approval of the Cook
Island government. He is presently being sponsored by the Maple Hill
church of Christ in Lebanon, Tennessee.
After a visit to the United States, at the age of 68, Tune set sail again with
the Dorcas Sue in March of 1998 to return to his work in the Cook Islands.