[arthurus]

yes I do believe there were women deacons.

Women "deacons" were chosen to work with the women among the people in the matter of
baptisms and such as it was regarded as unseemly for men to to put their hands on the women.
Very early baptisms of adults were done by immersion which requires more hands-on
than does sprinkling or placing a hands on heads.

[joathome]

All members of my family were baptized by immersion when we left the Catholic Church. There is nothing in the church that greater signifies our identification with our Lord in his death, burial and resurrection than being immersed.