Clement [c. 4th century]…gives us a glimpse into the institute of widows [cf. 1 Tim 5:3-16] to that of deaconesses [cf. 1 Tim 3:11]
”…there should be three widows in every church, two of whom engage to pray, while the third undertakes the care of the sick and needy. She is to be willing to give her services and temperate, she is to announce the names of the needy to the elders, she is not to be greedy of gain, not given to wine, that she may be able to watch at night services…”
Book of Clement (c. 4th century) a post-Constantinian document describing the role of church officers, uncovered by Paul de Lagarde (1827-1891) and contained in his Reliquary of Ancient Ecclesiastical Laws, as cited by Gerhard Uhlhorn in Christian Charity in the Ancient Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1883) 172-173.