Jeff Thompson Profile
Posted by: Kimberlee Mitchell | January 27, 2025

By: Ebonie Davis (Washington DC 2021), Contributor
Alumni: Jeff Thompson (Washington DC 2022)
Organization: 10:12 Sports in Baltimore, MD
Position: Founder & Executive Director
Jeff Thompson (Washington DC 2022) has been involved in youth ministry since 2007. He is the Founding Director of 10:12 Sports in Baltimore MD, where he and his family live intentionally in community with the youth they serve. Jeff has a passion for seeing Shalom among young people in the city and uses sports to engage them for discipleship, job training, and leadership development.
Q1: Tell us about your youth program and how you fulfill its mission.
A1: 10:12 Sports began organically. When I moved to Southwest Baltimore, I began thinking about what it looked like to love my neighbors. 89% of the households in my area were led by single parents who were often strapped for time, and kids needed something to do. I started using my background in sports and fitness to teach basic skills in football, basketball, and soccer to the kids in my community, while also using the opportunity to point them to the love of Christ. We had a lot of traction with younger kids, but I noticed that they often had older siblings—particularly teenage males—who weren’t being engaged; so, the Lord began to prick my heart for that demographic. I’d been exposed to Nes Espinosa’s (DVULI 2002) ministry, “Timoteo” in 2013 while visiting Philadelphia so that was helpful as I started developing relationships with teenagers in the neighborhood. He really poured into my vision for Baltimore, which became the early stages of 10:12 Sports.
We use sports to love our young men holistically where they are, but also to call them higher. My team works to instill in them a faith that impacts every area of their lives and offers a different outlook for their future. We explain to our youth that everything you do should be impacted by the fact that you are an image bearer of God, and He has plans that are beyond your wildest dreams. Let’s work toward what He’s doing in your life from that standpoint.”
Q2: What are you most proud of that the program has accomplished?
A2: We have kids from rival neighborhoods in our program who wouldn’t normally associate with each other, so on paper, this really shouldn’t work. One of my fondest memories is the first weekend we started to do our program in 2016—a kid said, “Those are the guys that banked me!” We tell our youth, “When you leave, we know that you have to watch your back. Let’s create a place that both honors God and is sacred. You don’t have to watch your back here, because everyone’s bought in on the fact that we all want a place of peace. We believe that’s what God wants—so let’s play this out here and let that be the narrative.”
We’ve had just over 2,000 adolescent males from these neighborhoods under our roof. We’ve never had one incident or police presence—not one fight, even in the heat of intense sporting! I believe this is mainly because God’s really in it, and He has His hand on the ministry; and secondly because our young people truly desire peace. This is a sacred space where youth doesn’t have to be defensive. They can be their true self and learn who God created them to be, and they respond to that. They feel a sense of brotherhood when they’re with us.
Q3: What do you hope to accomplish while you serve in this capacity?
A3: It’s twofold. From a staff perspective, I want them to feel more empowered and equipped to do what God has called them to do. I want everyone who passes through 10:12 Sports to realize they are part of something bigger—God’s vision—and we get the joy of tending it. Regarding the youth we serve, we want to see disciples being made who can make an impact in our neighborhood. We hope they’ve been equipped and have a vision for impact that leads to spiritual, environmental, economic, and relational renewal. In the part of the city that’s infamous for despair, the Freddie Gray uprising, and shooting deaths, we’re preparing our guys to take the lead in reviving those different spaces—leaders and kingdom leaders in our community. We want to be a place that is like the epicenter for renewal—a movement of God—echoing throughout the city. I hope I can see that in my lifetime.