Our History
The Shepherd’s Crook Ministries, Inc. was founded by Scott & Kathy Rosenow, of Fairfield Township, Ohio, in January of 2002. Scott and Kathy have four biological children, two of whom were born with significant special needs. Erin, born in 1983, struggles with severe learning and language disorders. She will probably never live independently, but she joyfully works alongside her parents to help make their efforts in this ministry possible. Ryan, born in 1989, was born without his right hand. In spite of the fact that their disabilities are so different, Ryan and Erin derived great comfort and support from each other as they were growing up. Scott and Kathy began to discuss the possibility of adopting other children with special needs, in the hope of offering them that same comfort and support. After investigating international adoption and discovering the prohibitively high costs involved, they concluded that God was not leading them in this direction.
In 1998, the Rosenows learned about an infant boy who had been born in La Paz, Bolivia without his left foot. Although Scott and Kathy still did not have sufficient funds for an international adoption, they became convinced that it was God’s will for them to adopt this child. Through the help of friends and family, God provided all the money they needed, and only a few months after hearing about this child and his need, they were able to bring Nathaniel Rosenow home to Ohio.
Deeply moved by the part God had allowed them to play in rescuing this child, the Rosenows hoped to adopt more children. Over the next two years, they adopted Meghan and Robyn from China and Colin from Bolivia. By this point, the Rosenows had witnessed firsthand the hopelessness and tragedy that special needs orphans face in their home countries. They knew that God was calling them to help more children than they could ever adopt themselves. In January of 2002, they officially formed The Shepherd’s Crook Ministries, Inc. as a non-profit corporation devoted to promoting the cause of special-needs orphans throughout the world. Since that time, they have been used by God to help orphans on five continents. At this point, the ministry has two paid employees and approximately thirty volunteers. The ministry continues to grow, and the Rosenows are excited to see how God will use them in the future.
Our Mission
We are a small 501(c)(3) non-profit located near Cincinnati, OH, with two full-time paid employees and approximately 30 volunteers.We are not an adoption agency, but a ministry that seeks to aid special needs orphans in several ways. We believe that the most comprehensive way to help these children is to see them placed in a loving, permanent family. Toward that end, we partner with adoption agencies to match children with families who are able to adopt them. Our Family Coordinators provide support to these families during the difficult process of the adoption, and in many cases, also after the child comes home. The ministry also enables others to make tax-deductible donations which can be used toward the adoption expenses of these children. We realize that for some children, adoption is not possible because of closed countries, severe medical needs, or other complicated situations. In such cases, The Shepherd’s Crook seeks to help by sending doctors or therapists to the country, providing medical or nutritional supplies, or funding foster care by a family in the child’s home country.