INTRODUCTION: 
By the late Arch-deacon Antonious Rostom (Mr. Magdi Rostom).

In 1980 AD the church started with only eight (8) families. The late Fr. Antonious Henein dedicated his efforts and began holding services once a month on Saturdays in a Russian Orthodox Church in Oxnard. Almost all the priests visited and took turns serving in our beloved church.

By the grace of God and the blessed support of many, the small congregation purchased a house on 7th street in Oxnard and added an additional room to enlarge the place and be used as a church in 1983 AD. Mr. Michael and Mr. Ibrahim Shehata were mainly the two servants sent by Fr. Antonious Henein-of blessed memory, to serve the small group for several years.

His Grace Bishop Tadros of Port-Said -Egypt, visited and blessed the congregation in 1988 AD. In 1988 AD His Grace Bishop Bishoy of Damietta, of blessed memory, and H. G. Bishop Benyameen Bishop of Menoufyia, under the instructions and blessings of H. H. Pope Shenouda III send Rev. Father Angelos Doss to serve the new church in Ventura County, where we found out many families living in that county, so we rented a church in Newbury Park for 6 consecutive months. The result was many families came to pray and attended on a regular basis and were added to the regular and permanent congregation list of 45 families of Archangel Michael Church.

+ Father Angelos Doss served us for less than 2 years as he had to go back to New Jersey, as his family lived there since their immigration.

The late Rev. Father Antonious Younan took over and we began praying once more on Saturdays at the previous church which we rented in Oxnard.

+These areas were served by our church; Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Newbury Park, Oxnard, Agoura Hills, West Hills and Ventura.

On the historical visit of H.H. Pope Shenouda III to Los Angeles in 1989 AD, His Holiness met with our congregation in St. George in Bellflower on February-11th1989AD, to discuss the availability of permanent service for pastoral care in these areas, and to encourage us His Holiness was very generous and donated us $20,000 and decreed that the church will be named “Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church”. His Holiness also said that the church has to be in an area suitable for all these cities. The meeting was concluded after two full hours listening to the wisdom and clarity of mind of H.H. Pope Shenouda III With his holiness charisma and sweet words H.Holiness called the church ‘Ventura El-Ammoura.’ i.e. Ventura the sweet.

+We kept praying hoping for a place to purchase or land to build on a church. Finally we found a place and bought it for $375,000 with $100,000 to be in our bank account. So, the house of Oxnard had to go to use its money for that new place as three other potential parties were very interested in purchasing the place;
A) A group of Muslim people to build a mosque.                                  
B) A Protestant Church                                               
C) One of the big companies.

So, we had to move fast and deposit $100,000 in the bank. By the grace of God everything went just right, the Oxnard house was sold, the $100,000 was deposited and the place was ours, blessings and glory to our God.                                 
The church was in Moorpark in a cold-de-sack area address ..110  Fremont  St.

Working together with Him (2 Corinthians 6:1)